Lamb of God
by pooksta
Summary: Lizzie and Kate run away from their deteriorating lives to a cult clear accross the country, but there appears to be a murder plot in the making. Now, their only hope of survival is to escape. COMPLETE
1. The Front Lawn

Lamb of God

It's the summer after their sophomore year in college and Lizzie and Kate join a cult after their lives and their friend's lives fall to pieces.

A/N: I do not own Lizzie McGuire and friends. I'm just expanding on what Disney has already provided.

Preface: Lizzie and everybody are all sophomores at the same college and they are a week away from heading off to their various summer destinations. Matt and friends are seniors in high school and graduate in a few weeks.

Chapter One: The Front Lawn

"Can you believe that in a week, we'll be allowed to officially call ourselves juniors?" Lizzie asked her friends.

"Yeah. We'll be over the hump. Graduation is closer than we think," Gordo agreed.

"I still can't believe we're all in college," Ronny added.

"And at the same place," Kate responded.

"Just think. In two years we might all live in separate countries," Miranda said.

"Or we could all end up back in Hildredge," Ethan added. The group groaned.

"I want to move to the east coast somewhere," Parker said.

"Yeah. We should all go live in Miami. It would be a crazy good time. We could party nonstop for the rest of our lives," Claire said.

The group had met at their usual hangout under a huge oak tree in the lawn at West Coast University in front of Gant Hall, where Lizzie,  
Miranda, Kate, and Claire lived on the first floor, and Ethan and Ronny lived on the second floor. Gordo stayed in George Hall, the men's honors dorm, about a quarter mile away, and Parker lived in Thomas Hall, across from Gant Hall. The University was ten miles North of Los Angeles and an hour South of Hildredge.

The past two years had been one big party for the group. They had gone to football games, had bonfires on the beach, laughed, cried, and studied together but life wasn't perfect.

"Hey, where's Tudge?" Parker suddenly asked. "It's like he never hangs out with us anymore. In fact he hasn't really hung out with us since last year"

"Ever since his clothes got darker and his music got heavier, I haven't seen him much," Gordo, his roommate, replied. "In fact, he doesn't  
even smile anymore. I think he just goes to bars and gets drunk every night. He sleeps all day and gets so drunk at night that he can't even find his way back. He's getting kicked out of the honors dorm next year"

"He is?" Kate asked, surprised. "But he was the science geek. He was supposed to be the next Einstein. What ever happened to that"  
Gordo sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know," he repeated sadly.

"Hey, I have to go," Miranda said, standing up suddenly.

"Where are you going?" Lizzie asked her.

"I- I just have to go. That's all." Miranda turned around and ran into Gant Hall before anybody could object.

"Where did she go?" Ethan asked.

"I think to our room," Lizzie said. "She's been doing it more and more. She'll just suddenly take off. It seems like some mornings she just  
wakes up and can't drag herself out of bed, and sometimes she can't go to sleep no matter how hard she tries. I think she is taking  
sleeping pills too. I wish I knew what was going on with her. She's been doing it more and more too"

"Is it possible that she's upset about Tudge? They did date for a year in high school," Kate asked.

"I don't think so. They stayed friends afterwards, and they didn't even hang out much when they were dating," Gordo replied. The group  
became silent for a few minutes lingering in thoughts of how life had changed.

"So, do you know if you got the summer internship in Hollywood yet?" Parker asked Gordo, breaking the silence.

"Nope. I should find out some time this week"

"I really hope you get it. Then I would know somebody there," Parker said. Parker had recently been accepted to be an intern over the  
summer at a nearby acting agency.

"Thanks," Gordo replied. The friends were silent again. "What are you doing for the summer, Lizzie?" Gordo asked.

"I'm Hildredge bound. I just really don't want to go home. Matt and Malina are getting married in July, and my mom couldn't be more upset. She hates the thought of Matt getting married right out of high school. I mean Malina won't even be eighteen until the end of June.  
So needless to say, her parents aren't thrilled either, but my mom is taking it the worst"

"So we're all invited to the wedding, right?" Kate asked.

"Of course. That is unless they elope first, which wouldn't surprise me. They've been getting a lot of hell from everybody"

"How are you taking it?" Gordo asked her.

"Oh, I'm just caught in the middle. Matt has been coming to me lately for advise and my mom is coming to me to encourage me to tell  
Matt what a huge mistake he's making"

"What do you think?" Ronny asked.

"Well, even if Matt and Malina getting married straight out of high school isn't in the best interest of my brother, he's not gonna change his mind, so I'm just trying to support Matt's decision. He's the only sibling I have, and I don't want to lose him"

"I've gotta go," Ethan said, glancing at his watch. "I've got a hot date with the barbells"

"I've gotta go too. I've got work in an hour," Claire said, looking at her watch.

After the two were out of earshot, Kate said, "I'm worried about Claire. I think she's not a waitress like she's been saying"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Parker asked.

"I was talking to this guy in my business management class and he asked me if I was friends with Claire Miller. I told him yeah, and he  
said that he saw her at a strip club on stage." Everybody gasped.

"No way," Lizzie said.

"It would explain the mysterious late shifts that she's been working and the nights she never came back to the dorm and the tons of dollar  
bills she always comes back with"

"I would have never thought," Lizzie said, still amazed.

"Yeah. I've got to go. I'm meeting up with some other people in the library to work on our project for business management," Kate said, standing up.

"I've got to leave too," Parker said. "I've got a hot date tonight with this kid named Jason Ryan. He's a total babe"

"So how tall is this one?" Lizzie joked.

"Hey, you've had more experience with Gordo than I have. We only dated for a month. You dated the kid for two years"

"Fine. You win," Lizzie said, smiling as Parker skipped off. Lizzie and Gordo decided to try out a relationship after Rome. They broke up  
on friendly terms two years later when they realized that they liked being friends a lot more. Gordo was more of a brother than a  
boyfriend.

"Well, it's just you and me, I guess," Ronny said, looking at Lizzie.

"Yup. I'm getting hungry. I think I could go for some supper right now. Wanna come?"

"Sure," Ronny replied. "I could always go for some yummy cafeteria food," he added sarcastically.

A/N: Problems have been presented. Everybody might be close right now, but I wrote this chapter to express how they were actually hanging on by a few threads. I know that this isn't a very good chapter, but they get better, I promise.


	2. So Young

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They are always appreciated. Sorry I haven't updated since the invention of the wheel. I could sit here and blame it on senioritus, but I think I'll just apologize instead and promise to update at least once every two weeks or so. Does that seem about right? So here's the deal. I've received four reviews so far, and I am forever grateful for all four of them. Amethyst, do you think I should still add expressions and descriptions for chapter one? Do you think it might help the rest of the story make more sense? FutureGoddess, I'm flattered. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I hope you still want to read my story. I think that's all for now. Thanks again! 

Lamb of God

Chapter Two: So Young

After dinner, Lizzie went back to he room to find Miranda sound asleep with a bottle of sleeping pills clutched tightly in her hand. Lizzie's heart dropped. Her best friend had resorted to taking sleeping pills, but it was only 6:00. Lizzie grabbed the bottle out of Miranda's hand, and realized that it was still mostly full. At least she wasn't trying to commit sui- Lizzie was shocked at what had just crossed through her mind. Miranda of all people would never even consider something so irrational. She was probably just having a hard time with something. Lizzie tossed the bottle on Miranda's desk and grabbed her bathroom tote to go take a shower.

After Lizzie took her shower, she studied for a couple hours with Kate next door and then they went to the Wednesday Night Movie on The Lawn that the student activities committee put on every Wednesday in front of their dorm. After watching The Village, the girls went back to their dorm and parted ways. Lizzie felt exhausted. Studying for finals was taking a toll on her. She didn't even change before falling fast asleep.

At about one a.m., Lizzie was suddenly jarred out of her deep sleep, that she fell into the second she hit the pillow, by a frantic pounding on her door and someone screaming, "Lizzie, oh my God! LIZZIE!"

Lizzie's heart jumped out of her chest as she bolted for the door to let the person on the other side in, but before she had taken a step, the door burst open and Lizzie saw Kate.

Lizzie felt like she was going to panic. "What the hell's goin on?" she frantically asked Kate.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," Kate said, shaking.

"What the hell is it?" Lizzie screamed, shaking her, but Lizzie had a feeling that she didn't want to know.

"Parker," Kate sobbed, before losing control and collapsing on the floor, sobbing even more.

Lizzie didn't know what to do. She was in a state of complete panic. "What the hell happened to Parker?" she screeched.

Kate looked up at her from the floor. "She's dead," she whispered.

Chills ran throughout Lizzie's entire body. She wanted to pass out, but at the same time she just wanted to run. Lizzie decided to run. She ran around Kate, and sprinted for the exit.

"Where are you going?" Kate half sobbed and half screamed after her.

"I don't know," Lizzie screamed as she found the exit. She really didn't know. She just had to run away.

Far away, but before she even made it across the lawn, she ran smack into Gordo, who looked in complete shock.

"What happened?" Lizzie screamed. "Where's Parker?"

"She- they- I mean Jason and Parker. They were in the car and then suddenly..." Gordo trailed off.

"Tell me, please," Lizzie said desperately.

"She didn't stand a chance. One second they were going and the next BAM!" Lizzie jumped at Gordo's sudden outburst. "He lost control and..."

"And what?" Lizzie whispered. She could feel tears swelling up in her eyes.

"They hit a tree at 50 miles per hour. Jason's in the hospital, in serious condition, but he'll make it."

"And Parker?"

"She- she didn't even make it out of the car."

"You mean..."

"She's dead." Lizzie couldn't hold on any longer.

Gordo grabbed her before she collapsed to the ground in tears. "I wish I could make it all better," Gordo whispered into her ear, but..." She felt hot tears hit her neck as he trailed off. Gordo was crying too.

After a few minutes, Lizzie and Gordo both managed to recollect themselves. Lizzie was still shaking and scared, but she had her mind back, and Gordo snapped out of his trance.

"We should go find the others. We need each other more right now than ever before," Lizzie whispered.

"Yeah," Gordo agreed. The two trudged into Gant Hall and up to the second floor where they found Ethan and Ronny in their room staring at the floor in a complete state of shock.

"Hey guys, come on. We need to talk," Lizzie said. Ronny and Ethan silently followed them downstairs to Kate's floor. Kate was silently sitting in the doorframe of Lizzie's room. There were groups of girls that were woken up by Kate's outburst who were standing around crying and staring solemnly at the floor.

"Come on, Kate. We need to get outta here," Gordo told her, touching her on the shoulder.

She looked up. Her eyes were red and her face was blotchy from crying. "Okay."

"Where's Miranda?" Lizzie asked.

"She's still sleeping. Something's wrong with her. She should have gotten up with all of the screaming going on," Kate quietly said.

"Sleeping pills," Lizzie mumbled.

"Where's Claire?" Gordo added.

"Stripping," Kate replied.

"Oh," Gordo said, flatly. "Well, let's go."

"Hey, what about Tudge?" Ethan asked.

"Drunk. He's passed out in the dorm."

"Oh."

Kate, Lizzie, Ethan, and Ronny then followed Gordo out to the oak tree they had been sitting under earlier that day. Nobody talked. They just sat for an hour, maybe two.

Finally, Ronny broke the silence. "It's funny," his voice cracked. "We were just sitting under this tree with Parker not 12 hours ago."

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "It's funny. Now that she's... you know... gone, I wish that I had gotten to know her better."

"Yeah. After that dance in eighth grade, I didn't really talk to her," Ethan said.

"She was probably trying to avoid you after the way you dance," Kate said, chuckling.

"That's the dance that she turned Gordo down for because he was too short," Lizzie added, smiling a little at the memory.

"Yeah. It's kinda ironic your six foot now," Ronny said, looking at Gordo.

"I don't know what the hell you jerks think is so funny. Parked is dead. D-E-A-D dead, and all you can do is laugh at a mistake she made seven freaking years ago. What the hell is your problem?" Gordo suddenly exploded. "Look, I'm history. I don't hang out with jerks that make fun of dead people." Gordo stood up.

"Wait. We weren't making fun of her. We were remembering the memories she made with us," Kate said.

"I don't care how the hell you put it. I hope I never see any of you jerks ever again," Gordo yelled as he turned around and ran."

Kate, Lizzie, Ronny, and Ethan looked at each other.

"He knew her better than the rest of us. I mean he dated her after all," Lizzie said quietly.

"But he's not the type to freak like that," Ronny said.

"I don't think anybody is the same when somebody... You know... goes," Lizzie replied.

"You mean dies?" Ethan asked.

Kate's lip started to quiver and she started sobbing again.

"Now look what you did," Lizzie said. "Why do you always have to be so dense? There a reason I didn't say d- I mean that."

"You think I'm dense? Well just for the record, I can lift 400 pounds," Ethan said, in defense. "I'm gonna go work off this crap it you don't mind."

"Fine, go," Lizzie spat. "You obviously don't give a shit that one of our friends died."

Ethan looked at her with a blank stare for a few seconds before jogging off towards the gym. "The gym's closed, stupid," Lizzie yelled.

"Go to hell!" Ethan called over his shoulder.

"I'm suddenly tired. If you don't mind, I think I'm gonna try to sleep a little," Kate said, wiping more tears away from her eyes.

"Okay. I think I'm gonna walk," Lizzie replied.

"I'll see ya later."

"Yeah, later," Kate said, heading towards Gant Hall.

Lizzie stood up and started walking the opposite way.

She didn't know where she was going, but she just had to go. After walking for a half hour, Lizzie found herself sitting at a quiet coffee house just off of campus. She ordered a shot of expresso and sat down and stared at the ceiling.

"You okay?" A man asked, sitting at Lizzie's table.

"Huh?"

"I said are you okay? You look really out of it."

Lizzie looked up into the face of a really attractive brunette. His hair was loosely gelled, and his bright blue eyes stood out against his light olive skin. His five o'clock shadow gave him a sexy outdoorsy look.

Lizzie blinked. Who was she kidding? He was drop dead gorgeous. His loose jeans clung to his hips by a brown leather belt. He was wearing flip flops, and a not tight, but not loose t-shirt that's sleeves clung to his muscular arms and hinted at the thought of tight abs underneath. "Oh, I'll live... I guess. My name's Lizzie, by the way," she added.

"Derek." He stuck his hand out and shook her hand.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"No. I could use some company right now. Do you go the WCU?"

"Yeah, but I'm graduating in just a few days."

"Cool. What do you plan on doing afterwards?"

"I met this really cool guy here, and we're starting an organization after graduation."

"Cool. What kind of organization?"

"It's religious."

"You mean like Christian?"

"Sorta, but enough about me. You go to WCU too?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be a junior next year."

"Cool"

"Yeah."

"Um, I don't mean to be nosey or anything, but you seem really upset. Are you really okay?"

"Well, I don't know." Lizzie wasn't sure that she wanted to share what just happened with a complete stranger, but he was being so nice, and he was so hot...

"One of my friends just died in a car wreck." Lizzie still couldn't believe what she was hearing. Parker dead? Fresh tears trickled down Lizzie's face. She took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand. "You're a complete stranger and I'm blubbering to you about some person that you probably don't even know. I mean you don't even know me. Now, it would be different if..."

"It's okay. I had no idea. If you just want me to go I can," he said, standing up.

"No, please stay. I mean if you want to. I just don't want to be alone. Sorry. I'll just shut up now."

"No, I understand why you're upset. "My sister got in wreck when I was a senior in high school and didn't make it. Maybe I'll understand."

Lizzie looked at him. "Oh my God. Here I am freaking out about a girl that I used to hang out with some, and you lost your flesh and blood."

"It's cool. I've had four years to heal. I'll never forget her, but I've just sorta come to accept what happened."

"How?"

"Time. It takes time to heal. I wish there was a faster remedy, but there doesn't seem to be."

"I had a feeling that was true. Does remembering the good times you had with her help?"

"Yeah. In fact, I hardly remember having a bad time with her."

"You had to fight with her at least sometimes."

"Yeah, but that's not what mattered. I forgot about that, but I still remember the forts we used to build out of sheets in the living room and the time we got to go to the carnival together. We both ate a ton of cotton candy and then went on the spinning teacup ride until both of us threw up and my mom forced us to go home." Lizzie smiled at his story. "See, you're already smiling."

"I feel like it's a crime to smile, though. I don't want Parker to think I'm happy she's gone. I'm such a jerk."

"No you're not. I doubt Parker would want you to never smile again. I mean think about it. You hate it when your friends are sad, right?"

"Yeah," Lizzie said slowly.

"Well, I bet Parker's the same way."

"Wow, suddenly something makes sense. Even in the midst of this whole episode, there's hope. Thank you so much."

"It's nothing. I hate to see people sad."

"You are so sweet. Most guys just run the second they see a girl cry."

"Is that what your boyfriend did tonight?"

"No. I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's cool. My friends all lost it, though. Gordo got upset when we smiled and then I yelled at Ethan for saying dead and making Kate cry. And my other friend never even woke up because of the sleeping pills she shouldn't be taking." Lizzie paused. "I'm sorry. That's probably more than you want to know about my sad life."

"No, it's okay. It's good to talk. Talking always made me feel better after my sister died."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You know, if you ever can't find anyone willing to listen, I can give you my cell phone number. You can call me anytime."

"You would do that? For me? I mean I'm a complete stranger."

"Yeah. I like you. You're kinda cool."

"But you don't even know me."

"I know enough." He grabbed a pen out of his pocket and scribbled his number on a napkin sitting on the table. "Even if you just wanna chat about anything, you've got my number," he said, handing the napkin to Lizzie.

"Wow. Thanks. I wish there were more people as sweet as you."

"Thanks." He smiled.

Lizzie glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost five a.m. "I should go see if Kate got to sleep and break the news to Miranda."

"Well, let me know how it goes," Derek said, putting his hand on top of Lizzie's resting on the table.

"Thanks." Lizzie smiled at Derek before sliding out of her chair and exiting the restaurant and walking towards Gant Hall about a mile away.

A/N: Well? What can I do to make it better? How do you see this story unfolding? I would love to hear from everybody. Even if you send me a blank review, I would love it because I know you're reading my story. Reviews really mean a lot to me. Oh, and if I'm making some dumb grammar errors, please let me know. I hate bad grammar, but I'm not very good at it.  
Thank you,  
-EKJ


	3. The Morning After

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I know it's short, so I'll put the next one up really soon. Thanks for all of the reviews last time.

Lamb of God

Chapter Three: Hell

After Kate left Lizzie, she went to her room and slowly drifted into a restless sleep. Finally at five, she gave up and decided to take a cold shower to snap her awake. She prayed that what happened to Parker was a horrible nightmare that would just go away, but the cold shower only forced her to remember the horrible even that occurred last night.

She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower in the community bathroom. Just as she was walking towards the door, Miranda walked in, looking completely exhausted and out of it.

"Hey, Miranda," Kate said.

"What the hell's going on? Why was everybody staring at my sympathetically as I walked to the bathroom?"

Kate let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe you should sit down first."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me while I'm standing up."

"No. I think you need to sit down." Miranda glared at her, but found a wooden chair adjacent to the sinks. "Parker got in a car wreck last night on her date and she- she- she's dead." Kate whispered the word dead, still shocked at what was coming out of her mouth. Miranda looked like she had just had the wind knocked out of her. After staring at nothing in particular for sometime, she buried her head in her hands. "Miranda, I- if- I mean..."

"Just go," Miranda said icily without looking up. "Just leave me alone. That's all you can do."

"Are you sure? Isn't there at least something I can do?"

"No, leave."

"I..."

"Goodbye."

"But..."

"Go. NOW!"

"Okay," Kate finally said slowly. She turned towards the door and looked over her shoulder at Miranda who still had her face buried in her hands before she left.

Kate went back to her room, got dressed and put her hair back into a wet ponytail. She didn't care what she looked like. She looked over at her sleeping roommate and wondered if she should wake her up.

Probably, but Kate was tired of breaking the bad news to everybody. She couldn't even talk when she tried to tell Lizzie, and even though Miranda seemed to take it fairly well, she wasn't interested in their reactions. She would tell Claire that afternoon.

Instead Kate decided to see if Lizzie was back yet.

She had left just after two am. and now it was six. 

As she exited her room, she saw Lizzie walking down the hall to her room. She looked exhausted, but strangely calm. "Hey Lizzie," Kate said.

Lizzie looked up and gave Kate a small smile. "Hey, Kate."

"I was gettin kinda worried after you were gone for so long."

"Sorry. I went to this coffee house to sit and I met the most amazing guy ever. We must have talked for hours. His sister died in a car wreck four years ago."

"That's great. That you met a guy, that is. Did you give him your digits?"

"No, but he gave me his and told me to call if I wanted to talk about what happened or just to talk."

"Is he cute?"

"He's gorgeous. He's a brunette with bright blue eyes, and he's tall and muscular."

"How the hell do you get by picking up boys by giving them the pity party just after your friend died?" an icy voice said from behind Lizzie.

Lizzie turned around. "Unlike you, Gordo, he was understanding and encouraged me to smile about all of the fun times we had together."

"You are such a worthless looser. You used your friend who died last night to pick up a guy. I can't wait to get to Hollywood this summer to get away from you."

"I'm glad you got in so I don't have to stare at your damn jealous face all summer."

"I'm not jealous. You're a bitch."

"Go to hell. I hope a car hits you in LA."

"Fuck you," Gordo hissed and turned around and left.

A single tear trickled down Lizzie's face as she watched Gordo storm away. Just a few hours ago he had been holding her in her darkest moment and now... this.

"Lizzie, are you okay?" Kate asked.

"I'll be fine," Lizzie choked. "I, uh, better go to class."

"Yeah, me too."

A/N: Okay, it's your turn. Let me know what you're thinking. I'll update again before the weekend to make up for the shortness of this chapter.-EKJ 


	4. Home Sweet Home

A/N: Here's the next chapter, finally!

Chapter Four: Home Sweet Home

"I'm home," Lizzie called as she opened the front door to her home in Hildredge a week later. She had finished her exams that morning and was home in time for lunch.

The last week had pretty much been hell for Lizzie.

Miranda hadn't said a single word for the rest of the week after Kate told her about Parker. In fact, the dark expression that shrouded her face hadn't changed either, and Lizzie could tell that Miranda was taking sleeping pills every night now.

Lizzie had also apologized to Ethan for yelling at him. They forgave each other, but neither was really talking.

Gordo went straight from West Coast University to Hollywood for his internship without even a simple goodbye.

Claire was upset about Parker, but she was more upset when Kate confronted her about stripping. The two stopped talking to each other for the remainder of the week and made no plans to hang out over the summer.

Ronny seemed to be in his own world. He offered condolence to whomever seemed to need it, but he was glad to get out of the stuffiness of WCU and escape to the safety of his own home.

Kate was the only person Lizzie was still talking to, but even they were happy to part. They both just wanted to get away from the thought of Parker for a little while.

Lizzie's house was silent. "I'm home," she said a little bit louder as she stepped inside. She attempted to shrug off her disappointment as she went up to her room to start unpacking.

As she was putting her last couple shirts in the washing machine, her mother, Jo entered the house through the front door. Lizzie heard her and jogged to the foyer.

"Hi, mom," she said.

"Lizzie," her mother replied and embraced her in a warm hug.

"Where did everybody go?" Lizzie asked.

"Oh. Well, I went to the mall to look for a pair of shoes, and your father spent the night at Frank's house, but must not be home yet. And Matt is out with that little slut somewhere probably planning the wedding that's never going to happen, because I won't let it."

"Oh," Lizzie replied. She wasn't sure how to react.

"Are you and dad okay?"

"Of course, dear. We're fine. Never been better even. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." She could tell her mom was lying.

Something was obviously wrong if dad was spending the night at Frank's house. Adults didn't have sleepovers. And to pile on top of everything, she sure hadn't changed her mind about Matt and Malina.

"So how are you holding up after... you know."

"I'm fine mom, really. Some days have been better than others, but I'm hangin on."

"Good. I'm glad to know that." Before anything further was said, Matt barged in the front door.

"Lizzie!" he exclaimed as he gave his sister a huge hug. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Wow. You've never been so glad to see me before in your life. In fact, you used to hate the idea of me in general."

"Hey, I'm a grown man now. I know how important my sister is."

"You are not a grown man," Mrs. McGuire snapped. "You are still a child and my son. If you were a grown man, you would be smart enough to not get married straight out of high school. And to- to- to that girl of all people."

Matt looked hurt. "Her name is Malina."

"I know that." She paused. "If you would excuse me, I'm gonna use the restroom."

Matt looked at Lizzie. She could see that his eyes were getting watery.

"Why does she have to be like that? I wish that she would just accept my decision."

"I know. Even if this is the biggest mistake of your life, which I'm not saying it is, I know you're not backing out, so you're right. She should at least keep her mouth shut."

"Thanks, Liz," Matt said and hugged his sister again.

"Hey, I heard about Parker. I was shocked."

"I'm sure you weren't as shocked as me."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. I have other things that I need to focus on right now like Mirand- I mean your wedding." Lizzie didn't want to keep anything from her brother, but she just didn't want to talk about Miranda's latest habit right then. "So what's up with mom and dad?" Lizzie asked, changing the subject.

"I think he's sick of listening to mom talk about how stupid I am. I don't think dad would ever stand up for me, but I think inwardly, he knows mom's gone too far. He's been at Frank's house for three days."

"You don't think that mom and dad are going to get divor..."

"Don't say that. It would be all my selfish fault. Maybe dad just feels like spending some time with Frank playing cards and stuff."

"Matt, even if they did separate, it wouldn't be your fault."

"You don't have to lie to me. I'm a big boy now. I can take the truth. I know if it weren't for me and Malina, none of this would have happened."

"Well, if you and Malina didn't happen, then something else would have. I'm sure. You love Malina."

"I still don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe a single thing I say, but it's the truth."

"Thanks sis."

"Don't you get all sappy on me now. I've had enough of that to last me a lifetime in the past week. So how's the wedding planning going?"

"It's going. The wedding isn't gonna be anything big, though. Both of our parents refuse to put much money forward, so we're hacking into our savings to hire a preacher."

"Where's it gonna be at?"

"Hildredge Christian Church, but there won't be any flowers or anything fancy. The flower girls are wearing their old homecoming dresses and the guys are wearing dress pants and button up shirts."

"What about the reception?"

"No reception. It's too expensive."

"Okay. You're at least going on a honeymoon, right?"

"Nope. We're spending a few days at the Days Inn and then we'll stay in the married dorms at Hildredge College."

"Well, at least you don't have to freak out about planning everything perfectly."

"At least, but I really do want the best for Malina."

"I know you do, but this is your best for now."

"Yeah. I guess so."

"So what are your plans for the evening?"

"I was gonna fix everybody dinner and invite Malina over."

"Malina here with mom and dad?"

"Yeah. I guess we just keep getting this false hope that somehow they will both come to terms with our engagement."

"Well, I'll help you make dinner. I know what kind of cook you are."

Matt smiled. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, lightly punching Lizzie in the shoulder.

"You know Mr. I can't even boil water." Matt rolled his eyes as the two made their way to the kitchen.

Two hours later, the table was set over a burgundy tablecloth with the McGuire's best china, crystal glasses, and candles.

"Mmm. What smells so good?" Mrs. McGuire asked, entering the dining room.

"Oh, Lizzie and I just decided to throw together dinner tonight for you," Matt said.

"Wow," Mrs. McGuire said, eyeing the dining room table. "This is quite some dinner."

"Yeah. Is dad home?"

"No, he..." Mrs. McGuire was cut off by the front door opening.

Lizzie, who had been putting the final touches on her famous green bean casserole exclaimed, "Dad!" She ran to the front door and embraced her father.

He looked up. "Lizzie!" he said, returning the hug.

"I smell dinner."

"Yup. Me and Matt are just finishing up. It should be ready in about five minutes."

"You made dinner on your first night home?"

"Yeah. I was doing Matt a favor. He set the table and found the measuring cups."

"You're somethin else, Lizzie."

"Well, don't just stand there. Go wash up for dinner."

Mr. McGuire laughed. "Aren't I supposed to tell you that?"

"If you don't wash your hands, you can't have any supper," Lizzie said, smiling.

"You sound just like your mother," Mr., McGuire replied, shaking his head as he went upstairs to wash his hands. As he did so, the doorbell rang.

"I GOT IT!" Matt yelled as he bounded to the front door before Lizzie even had time to react to the bell. He opened to door, and Malina was standing on the other side. "Hey, babe," Matt said, pecking Malina on the lips. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. I didn't think that I would ever loose sleep over a simple dinner before."

"I know. I know."

"Hey, Lizzie," Malina exclaimed, seeing Lizzie standing in the foyer.

"Hey, stranger," Lizzie replied and gave Malina a hug.

"I'm so glad that you've accepted me."

"Well, sis, that's what families are for, right?"

"Yup," Malina agreed, smiling.

"Well, lets call everybody to the table so we can get this over with," Matt said, ending the short reunion. Malina sighed. "You're right."

"You guys go sit down. I'll call mom and dad," Lizzie said.

Mr. McGuire was the first to the table to see Malina.

"Hi," he mumbled to Malina, not giving her any eye contact.

"Good evening, Mr. McGuire," Malina responded, trying to sound chipper.

"Where's mom?" Matt asked Lizzie.

"She's coming," Lizzie replied.

Mrs. McGuire entered the dining room, and the second she saw Malina, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's she doing here?" Mrs. McGuire whispered to Lizzie.

"Good evening, Mrs. McGuire," Malina said attentively.

Mrs. McGuire did not respond.

"Oh! I just remembered that I need to... to... uh... go to the store," Mrs. McGuire said.

"What for?" Matt asked.

"It's none of your business," Mrs. McGuire growled, backing up towards the exit.

"No, mom. You can't leave! This isn't fair. Lizzie spent two hours making this dinner. You are not backing out of this. What the hell is your problem anyways? This has nothing to do with the store does it?"

"Shut up, Matt," Mrs. McGuire said in a dangerously quite voice.

"No, mom. I'm done with you. Me and Malina are getting married this summer, and you aren't going to stop us by hating Malina. Might I remind you that I proposed to her? This was my idea. If you're going to hate anybody, hate me."

"I said shut up Matt," Mrs. McGuire repeated.

"No. I'm still not finished. You used to support what I did and the decisions I made, but instead of telling me what I couldn't do, you let me learn from many of my mistakes. I know you think that us getting married is a mistake, but there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. If this is such a huge mistake, why can't you just let me learn from it? I thought I knew you better than this, but I was wrong," Matt continued, standing up.

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" Mrs. McGuire screamed. Matt looked stunned.

"No, you shut up, Jo," Mr. McGuire said from out of the blue. "Don't you remember our wedding and how nervous we were? Our relationship was held by a thread because of our nerves, and my parents accepted you with open arms. It's a miracle that Matt and Malina didn't break up months ago thanks to you. Now how would it make you feel to see your only son heartbroken? You cried with Lizzie after Ronny dumped her, and that was just a little two day fling back in eighth grade."

Mrs. McGuire's mouth hung open in shock. "Well, that was then and this is now. And Matt, I never want to see her ever again in this household. Get out," she said, staring at Malina. Malina's eyes filled with tears, and she ran out the front door.

"You are the most horrible excuse for a person alive," Matt hissed as he ran after Malina. 

After the couple was gone, Mrs. McGuire said, "Well, if that doesn't break them up, then I don't know what will."

"Even if this is a mistake, they aren't turning back, so give in," Lizzie reasoned.

"If you're so supportive of Matt, then why are you here?" Mrs. McGuire hissed.

"Because this is my home. Or it used to be at least."

"No, it's because you have nowhere to go."

"I'm done speaking to you," Lizzie said, her eyes welling up with tears. She ran out of the dining room up to her bedroom. 

She sat down on her bed and started scanning her room. She still had the same wallpaper from when she was seven and her music box that played the nutcracker when she opened it had been there since she was four. The framed picture of her parents holding her the day she was born had been hung up the day she was brought home. How could her mother not call this her home? Her mother had been upset. She probably wasn't thinking. Before Lizzie could make any more excuses for her mother, she noticed a napkin next to her music box. Derek. He had offered to talk if she was upset, but this was lame. He had offered to just talk, though. Her hand lingered over the napkin. That had been two weeks ago. He probably didn't even remember that they had met. But life had been crazy. He would understand. Lizzie grabbed the napkin in her left hand and her cordless phone in the other hand. Before she let herself think, a pleasant

"Hello?" came out of the other line.

"Uh, hello. I mean hi. May I please speak with Derek?" Lizzie stammered.

"This is Derek."

"Hi. This may be kinda stupid, but we had talked two weeks ago in a coffee house, and I know it's been two weeks and all, but..."

"Lizzie," Derek said, perking up.

"Yeah."

"Hey, how are you?"

"If you mean how am I dealing with Parker's death, I'm fine. Her funeral gave me a lot of closure. I still haven't forgotten her. I never will, but I'm better than that night at the coffee house if that's what you mean. Oh boy, here I go blubbering again."

"It's cool. So what's bothering you?"

"I thought you said I could just call you."

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm thrilled to hear from you again, but something in your voice is telling me that something's bothering you."

"It's funny. I've talked to you once before in my life and you can already tell by my voice when I'm upset. I dated this other guy for two years, and he never had a clue."

"Hey, what can I say? I'm Mr. Sensitive."

Lizzie chuckled. "I can't believe we went to the same college, and I never laid eyes on you until two weeks ago."

"WCU isn't exactly small."

"True."

"So what's on your mind?"

"Oh, my brother and mom are still at it. Or more specifically, my mom is still bitchin at Matt for getting married."

"Right out of high school, right?"

"Yup."

"Hey, I don't know how to say this, but I'm gonna be in Hildredge tomorrow night. Maybe we could go for some coffee or something in the afternoon before my seminar."

"Like on a date?" Lizzie asked, her heart pounding.

"Yeah."

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Cool. I'll pick you up at four?"

"Sounds great. Perfect even. If you don't mind my nosiness, what's the seminar about?"

"Oh, you should come. I think you would love it."

"So you're surprising me."

"Pretty much."

"I hate surprises."

"I think you're lying."

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Is that a threat?"

"Maybe."

"So how 'bout some directions to your house." Lizzie explained to Derek how to get to her home, they said their goodbyes and hung up.

A/N: Let me know what you think! The more reviews, the sooner I will get a new chapter out! I promise. 


	5. Coffee

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. Lyndsey Rose, thanks especially to you for the review. I'm not a huge fan of cussing, either, but it's part of the development of the characters. Language is my primary form of communication in this story, and it is the main aspect of the advancement of the characters. The language the characters use should play a role in how each one acts and treats each other. It might not be evident, but it's there. Did that even make any sense at all? Well, anyways, thanks for the review. It's a pleasure to explain where I'm coming from.

Chapter Five: Coffee

At promptly four o'clock the next afternoon, the McGuire doorbell rang. Lizzie glanced in the mirror to make sure she looked perfect. The first time she met Derek, she looked horrible in her flannel pajama pants and a WCU t-shirt. Now, however, she was wearing a short jean skirt and a light blue silk top with two-inch straps. Lizzie was home alone again. She jogged down to the steps to the front door.

"Hey, Lizzie," Derek said, handing her a white tulip.

"Wow! Thanks," Lizzie said, beaming as she accepted to tulip.

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Yup," Lizzie said, grabbing her small light blue purse off of the table in the foyer.

Two hours later, the two were at the digital bean, talking and laughing as if they had known each other their entire lives.

"Whoa! Look at the time. No way is it all ready six. I've gotta be at this seminar in half an hour. Did you say you wanted to come?"

"Sure. I'm curious to know what you're gonna be talkin about, and it looks like the only way I'll find out is if I go."

"Awesome."

The couple left the Digital Bean and drove over to the Sheraton Inn two miles away. There were already about ten people in the room as Lizzie and Derek entered.

Derek went up to the stage to prepare for his talk, so Lizzie looked around to see what kind of people had showed. There seemed to be one of everybody. There was a shy looking woman standing in the corner, staring at the floor. An older black man was sitting in a chair in the back reading a pamphlet. A middle aged business man was having an annoyed conversation on his cell phone. Lizzie also spotted a tall blonde that was college-aged and looked a lot like "Kate?" Lizzie asked, shocked.

"Lizzie? What are you doing here?" Kate asked, equally astonished.

"I- I was gonna ask you the same thing. I came with Derek from the coffee house."

"Oh, I thought this thing sounded kinda interesting."

"Good evening. If everybody could please take a seat, I think we're ready to begin," Derek said from the stage. He paused as everybody immediately took a seat and quieted down. "Most of you are here because I am assuming that you are interested in the Lamb of God Ministries. Just for a quick overview, our mission is to bring a chosen group of people together to worship God. How many of you have been struggling to make do in this life? Maybe you're dealing with a loss, and your friends have all run away from you and the memory? Well I'm here to tell you that there's hope. God says there's a reason for everything. He's got a reason for why you're struggling. He has a plan for you. All of you. Jeremiah 29 verse 11 states, " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.' That's right. God has plans for all of you. God has called on you to come into this room to start acting out his plan for you. Lamb of God isn't for everybody, but you will know if God wants you to come be with us." Derek talked for about 45 minutes before asking if anybody had questions.

Lizzie was confused. She was a Christian and all, but it seemed like Derek was trying to sell something.

The old black man in the back of the room raised his hand. "Where are you located?"

"We are set up in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. It's located about 65 miles East of Charleston"

"You mean everybody lives together?" Lizzie asked.

"Yup. You'll be surrounded by your brothers and sisters in Christ all the time. There will always be somebody there to listen and talk to you."

Lizzie was still a little confused, but she nodded and listened to the rest of the questions.

After the seminar ended, Derek and Lizzie got in Derek's car. Lizzie's stomach rumbled. It was 7:30, and she hadn't had dinner yet.

"You sound hungry. Let me take you out to eat," Derek said.

"Thanks, but I can always just grab something when I get home."

"Oh, come on. I would love to have some company for dinner."

"Well, only if you insist."

"In that case, I insist."

As the two went out to dinner at a local diner, Lizzie forgot about the seminar. They talked for two hours before Derek finally drove Lizzie home. He pulled up into the driveway and insisted on walking Lizzie to the door. Lizzie had noticed a lot of polite little gestures that Derek had made all night like opening her door for her and pulling her chair out for her at the restaurant. She could get used to this.

"Thanks for letting me take you out tonight," Derek said when the two were standing at Lizzie's front door in the dim porch light. "I had a ton of fun."

Lizzie smiled. "Me too. I haven't smiled so much in a long time."

"You're beautiful when you smile," Derek said. Lizzie blushed as he leaned down. His lips met with Lizzie's, leaving a lingering kiss burning on her lips. "Goodnight," he whispered.

As Derek turned around to leave, Lizzie caught his arm.

"Wait," she said. "I'm confused. What was that seminar?" Derek's eyes lit up, and he motioned for her to sit next to him on the bench on the McGuire's front porch.

"It's pretty much a church you live at. Imagine just worshipping God all day, everyday for the rest of your life. This world is getting more and more corrupted everyday. We're not far off from the end, and it is becoming impossible to be a true God-fearing Christian in this world. Lamb of God wants to save as many Christians as possible from destruction."

"So you mean it's like a summer camp where people meet to take a break from life for a while, and work on cultivating their faith with other Christians and then returning home stronger than ever?"

"Close. Except, Lamb of God is home."

"But what about jobs and money and practical stuff?"

"It's all taken care of. Everybody works on the grounds. Everybody who joins makes a vow of poverty and obedience."

"You mean like nuns and monks?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"So what about chastity then?"

"Nope. We want to be able to expand. We want our members to 'be fruitful and increase in number,' just like God commanded Adam in Genesis chapter one verse 22."

"So why the vow for poverty and obedience?"

"Well, Proverbs 11 four says 'Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,' and in John 14 verse 15 and 16, Jesus says, 'If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever-' "

"Oh. So pretty much it's like one big party that lasts forever."

"Yeah. Kinda. And the best part is that it's like starting your life all over again with people you can truly count on. You're not gonna wake up one day to find one of your brothers or sisters on sleeping pills, another one drinking, another stripping, and another holding a grudge against you.

"That sounds really nice."

"It would mean more than the world to me if you decided to join."

"I don't know. I don't think just picking up my life, dropping out of college, and leaving my friends and family behind to move clear across the United States is such a great idea."

"Well, Lizzie, it's up to you. I'm sure God has it set in your heart what's right for you. And remember that while you may lose your life here, the life at Lamb of God has guaranteed friends and love for life."

"That does sound nice."

"I don't mean to sound pushy, but the last group leaves in a week, and there's room for five more people. After this trip, Lamb of God is closing its doors to the outside."

"A week? I don't know."

"Lizzie, you don't have to come, but just think about what you would lose by not coming."

"I just don't know."

"Well, let me know ASAP. Even if you don't decide to come, I would love to see you again before I leave." Derek stood up and politely kissed Lizzie on the lips before walking to his car.

Lizzie wasn't sure what to make of this Lamb of God thing. Kate was at the seminar. Maybe she would know what to think. Lizzie picked up the cordless phone in the kitchen and punched in Kate's cell.

"Hello?" a familiar voice said on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Kate. It's Lizzie."

"Hey, Lizzie. What's up?"

"Well, you know that seminar you went to today?"

"Uh huh."

"Are you really gonna do it? Go, I mean. Cause it seems pretty cool, but I don't know if I could just abandon my life here."

"Lizzie, what life? The life where Miranda would rather take sleeping pill than confide in her best friend? A life where the one guy you've practically fallen head of heals for left in a rage for LA? And what about your parents and Matt? You're stuck right in the middle of that. And don't forget Larry: the drop out alcoholic Goth freak. Plus, this whole Parker thing. That was the last straw for me. It's not like I have a family that gives a shit about me either. I really hope you decide to come too. The only thing you would leave behind is one giant miserable mess." Lizzie was silent. Reality had just nailed her in the gut, and it hurt. Bad. "Lizzie? Don't forget Derek either. He's probably the best thing in you life right now. Lizzie, I'm all signed up to take the leap of faith. I'll admit that I'm a little scared, but all of the bad things in my life must be a sign that Lamb if God is where I belong."

"Something just doesn't seem right, though."

"Lizzie, I know this whole thing seems overwhelming, but what have you got to lose?"

"Not much, I guess. I think I'm just gonna try to sleep on the idea. I'll call you tomorrow." Lizzie clicked the off button on the cordless phone. She had never felt so bewildered before.

Lizzie hadn't been off the phone for two minutes talking to Kate when it's shrill ring pierced the silence. Lizzie almost jumped.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Is this Lizzie?"

"Yes. Who's this?"

"This is Mrs. Sanchez." There was no mistaking the panic in her voice.

"Mrs. Sanchez, what's wrong?"

"It's Miranda."

"Oh my God," Lizzie whispered as every molecule of air seemed to rush out of her chest at once as she braced for the worst.

"She took some medicine. Too much medicine. She's dying." The words were ice. Lizzie could feel herself gag, and then she felt nothing. The phone smashed to the tile beneath the bar stool where Lizzie was sitting. She didn't move. She couldn't. She couldn't go on living this life. She couldn't. She couldn't go on living this life. She couldn't deal with the pain and emotions stabbing her already broken heart. She couldn't. She couldn't think. She could only sense herself reach for her baby blue purse, and she could feel herself pull out her cell phone and dial Derek's number.

"Hello?" the strong, deep, safe voice inquired on the other side of the line.

A/N: So far so good? Needs improvement? Let me know what you're thinking. Do you see Miranda dieing or living after her overdose? 


	6. Today

A/N: I got a couple of reviews mentioning that Mrs. McGuire wasn't in character. I did that rather intentionally. By the end of this story, the reason she is acting so unlike herself should make sense. 

Chapter 6: Today

Lizzie woke up the next afternoon with a splitting headache. She opened her eyes, but the piercing sun streaming through her window blinded her. Lizzie groaned. She didn't want to move. Downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring. She waited for somebody to answer the boor, but 30 seconds later, the doorbell rang again. Lizzie groaned as she got out of bed and shuffled into her slippers. This whole being home alone thing seemed to be a growing trend. Nobody could stand anybody anymore. Lizzie shuffled down the stairs in her pajamas and answered the door. Much to her surprise, Derek and Kate were there to greet her.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head," Derek said, pecking Lizzie on the cheek.

"Hey, I heard about Miranda," Kate chimed in. "I'm really sorry. I hope she'll be okay."

"Yeah," Lizzie mumbled. The three were silent. "What are you doing here?" Lizzie asked finally as she ushered them inside.

"Well, all five spots filled up so we were hoping to leave today," Derek said.

"Today?" Lizzie squeaked. "But I'm not ready. I mean I haven't packed or called my friends, or even said goodbye. I have to at least say goodbye to my brother."

"It's okay, Lizzie. Just think of all the fun to come. After we're at Lamb of God, you'll hardly even remember the life you once had here," Derek said.

"And with how our lives are shaping up here, that doesn't seem like such a bad thing," Kate added.

"We can still come back and visit, right?" Lizzie asked.

Derek laughed light heartedly, and took Lizzie's hand for reassurance. "I promise that once you get there, you won't even want to come back."

His hand sent tingles throughout Lizzie's entire body. Suddenly she felt safe, confident, and ready for the next step. "So what do I need to do to be ready to leave tonight?" she asked.

Derek's eyes lit up. "Well, in Luke chapter five, Jesus tells his soon to be disciples to drop everything and follow him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when you get to Lamb of God, you won't need anything, so all you need is yourself."

"You mean I have to leave like everything here? Like I can't even bring a picture of me and my brother or my friends?"

"Don't worry, Lizzie. When you get there, you won't want memories of your old life anyways."

Lizzie wasn't so sure she agreed, but she nodded her head. "If you don't mind, I would like to spend a few minutes by myself in my room. You know, just to say goodbye and all."

Lizzie looked around at her bed, her desk, and her chair. She had no idea what was in store for her after she left all of this.

"Okay," Derek called up the stairs after about ten minutes. "Let's hit the road."

Now she really had nothing except for the clothes on her back and two pictures she snuck before the rest was confiscated. One was of her and Matt with their arms slung over each other's shoulders, smiling goofily at Matt's sweet 16 party. The other was of Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo hugging each other on graduation day. Lizzie didn't even know why she saved that one.

"Hold on," Lizzie said as she jogged down the stairs into the ever so familier foyer. She ran into the kitchen, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled a note to her family.

Dear Mom, Dad, and Matt,

I'm sorry to leave you without saying goodbye, but don't worry, you will always be in my heart. I'm writing this note because I'm going with a friend I met recently and Kate to a new home in the East. I miss you already, and I would like to thank you for the last 20 years of my life.

Love, Lizzie

PS: Matt, I wish you and Malina the best.

With the blink of an eye, Lizzie was gone. The only thing Hildredge had of hers was the last 20 years of her life.


	7. 2,335 Miles

A/N: Thanks for the fabulous reviews. So, with no further ado, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 7: 2,335.44 Miles

Lizzie wasn't sure what to make of anything anymore. The headlight of the oncoming traffic whizzed by her as she starred out the window of the van she had entered just a few hours ago. The van was full. Kate was sitting to her right in the first row, and Derek was right in front of Lizzie, driving.

Lizzie looked around at the various people that were joining her on this adventure. Next to Kate was a middle-aged looking man whom Lizzie had seen at the seminar, but his cell phone had been replaced with a blank stare. He seemed almost in shock that he had nothing to do. In the row behind Lizzie and Kate was the shy girl Lizzie had also seen at the seminar. She had her head pressed up against the window, looking like she wished she were invisible. Next to her was a larger woman who looked like a mother. Lizzie wondered if she had any children and where they were. Next to that woman was a bald man with what looked like the beginning a beer belly. He himself seemed to fit the stereotype of a smoking alcoholic with his thinning, ripped t-shirt and stained jeans.

Behind that row was a girl who looked about college age with beautiful brown hair that cascaded down her entire back. She was very pretty, and she looked like she had all the confidence in the world. In fact, she was the only one in the van that looked confident at all. Next to her was a guy that looked about five years older and was sporting horn-rimmed glasses. His nose was huge. Lizzie felt bad for him. He looked rejected and lost based on the forlorn stare that took over his entire face. Next to him was an older looking man. Lizzie guessed that he was a widower. Behind that row was one more row of four people. None of them looked any happier than the rest of the van. The only other person on the bus was a man with bright red hair sitting in the front passenger seat. He was young, but Lizzie couldn't tell anything by the look on his face. It was completely blank.

Almost the entire 2,300 mile, 35 hour ride to West Virginia was silent and forlorn. Nobody seemed interested in talking, and the silence was starting to get to Lizzie. All she could do was think, and she did.

Lizzie thought about her parents and wondered how they had reacted to her note. Did they even believe that she would be gone forever? And what about Matt? Lizzie had been the only person in the family to honestly offer up her blessing for him and Malina. Lizzie really did care about Matt. She felt most guilty about leaving him. Lizzie also wondered about Gordo. He probably didn't even know that Lizzie was gone. But when he found out, she doubted he would be upset. She also wondered about Parker's family and how they were dealing with her loss. She would never know. And was Tudge really becoming a druggie alcoholic? Maybe if she had stayed, she could have helped… And Ethan? He was close to both her and Kate. And Ronnie. Lizzie had grown quite close to him in college. Maybe if she had stayed, they would have eventually dated. And maybe even gotten married… But most of all, Lizzie worried about Miranda. Lizzie felt sick every time the thought of Miranda popped into her head. Lizzie didn't even know if Miranda was alive, and if she did make it, how would she deal with the disappearance of her best friend?

"Hey, why the long face?" Derek asked, sitting down next to Lizzie, his arm slung casually around the back of the bench behind Lizzie. His question snapped Lizzie out of her torturing thoughts.

Lizzie noticed that Kate had taken over driving.

"Oh, not much. I'm just second guessing myself again. This silence is almost deafening."

"The trip East will be the hardest part. Generally, the people who join Lamb of God are going through some tough stuff in their lives. The community is much more upbeat than this crowd. But don't worry, everybody will heal as time passes at Lamb of God."

The 35 trip felt more like a year, but eventually, the bus roared into the Appalachian Mountains, and excitement level grew when the endless highway pulled away from the exit the van made. About an hour after the bus left the highway, it pulled up to a non descript white building. Everybody was ushered off the bus by two women wearing long navy blue skirts and white button-up blouses and two men wearing navy blue pants and white polo shirts.

The group was separated by genders as they got of the van. The women were put into a large room where the two women in the navy blue skirts ordered the women to take off their clothes and put on uniforms that matched what the women were wearing. The outfits weren't very flattering at all, and there were no pockets for Lizzie to hide her pictures in, but she couldn't bear to part with them. She folded them in half and subtly slipped the pictures into her left shoe without anybody noticing. Then, she put on the white sneakers she was given, and put her old outfit in the black garbage bag that was circling the room.

After everybody was seated back in the van, they were all blindfolded for the three hour trip to Lamb of God. Lizzie was confused as to why they had to be blindfolded, but she decided to just go with the flow and wear one. She could feel the van bump and lurch as Derek drove over the twisted roads filled with sharp curves. After three hours, the bus finally came to a lurching halt. The new members were instructed to take off their blindfolds as they got out of the van.

Derek took Lizzie's hand, and helped her off the bus. When she looked up, she gasped.  
In front of her stood a giant majestic stone building. It looked like a mansion with its five floors and towering windows. In front of the building was a huge luscious green lawn and a stately driveway circling around the lawn up to the front of the building where there was an overhang probably used for protecting people as they went inside from their car. To the right was another large majestic stone building. The driveway brushed the front steps that led up to two large dark mahogany doors. Towering about the doors was steeple, and on the side of the building were stained glass windows. It was clearly a chapel. In fact, it was the kind of chapel that Lizzie always dreamed of getting married in. It seemed to come straight out of a story book. The only other building Lizzie saw was a five car garage off to the left. It looked more like a carriage house with five separate wooded garage doors. The stone covering the remainder of the building matched the house and the church. Everywhere Lizzie looked there were green trees reaching towards the sky and digging their roots deep into the steep mountain slopes.

Lizzie was hoping that Lamb of God would be a fairly nice place to live, but this was way beyond her wildest dreams. Suddenly, leaving her life in California to join Lamb of God seemed like the right thing to do.

When Lizzie turned around, she noticed a majestic looking cast iron gate. The gate was connected to two large stone pillars. The fence disappeared rather quickly down a slope. There was another gate about 50 feet away from the other one where the other end of the driveway met the road. The cast iron fence connected the two gates together and continued into the trees on the other side. Lizzie thought she noticed a high chain linked fence with barbed wire on the top. Lizzie wondered who or what the fence was trying to keep out… or in.

"Come on, Lizzie! We're going to see our room assignments now," Kate exclaimed, pulling Lizzie by the arm towards the main building. Lizzie followed, but the picture of that barb-wired fence didn't leave her mind as she let Kate lead her towards the mansion. 


	8. A New Home

Chapter 8: A New Home

Kate pulled Lizzie up the front steps of the mansion and to the front door. The doors were beautiful. They were French style made out of mahogany. There was one large pane of glass in each door with a beautiful floral design etched into it. Lizzie hardly had a chance to look before Kate pulled her into the foyer, though.

The foyer was more amazing than the house. It was two stories high, and light poured in from the gigantic windows above the door. There was a mural of some sort on the ceiling that reminded Lizzie of the Michael Angelo painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. There was a balcony that went around three sides of the wall on the second floor, and two curving staircases ascended to the second floor from the foyer. Lizzie looked down and noticed that she was standing on dark wooden floors. The floor matched the mahogany doors.

Lizzie saw people walking around here and there, all in the same uniforms that she now wore. None of them looked happy or sad. They didn't look liked the belonged in the beautiful house with their nondescript uniforms. Lizzie felt out of place too, but it was so beautiful.

A short stocky man with non descript brown hair, beady brown eyes hiding behind round titanium glasses, and large nose descended down the stairs with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Sal!" Derek exclaimed, walking up to the man and shaking his hand.

Sal smiled at Derek, and then looked beyond him to the group of new members. "And these must be our new members. Welcome to Lamb of God." His voice echoed throughout the foyer.

"This is Sal," Derek said. "He's the leader of Lamb of God, and he truly is a man of God."

Sal smiled and laughed heartily. "That's what I'm told. Why don't you show our new brothers and sisters in Christ to their rooms. I'm sure they're all exhausted after their long trip here."

"Will do," Derek said, heading towards the stairs. The group followed. When he made it to the top, he turned the corner and opened a door that had steps that reminded Lizzie of a fire escape, or a stair case you would find in a dorm room. The group ascended two more flights of stairs. "The fourth floor is the women's floor. This house was originally built for two floors, but when the house was constructed, it was made strong enough to support up to five floors. The second floor is where the offices, meeting rooms, and other administrative things are. Women are housed on the fourth floor and men on the fifth.

"What about the third floor?" Lizzie asked.

"That is where the married people reside," Derek replied, looking Lizzie in the eye. Lizzie blushed. She knew what Derek was thinking. After a short silence he continued, "The dining room and kitchen are on the first floor along with a large fellowship hall and some other various gathering rooms. Let me show you to your rooms now so you can get settled in. Each of you will be given a bible and two changes of clothes. Those will be your only possessions. Laundry is done every other day. There is a laundry chute in every bathroom. Toiletries and linens are all already in your rooms. Does anybody have any questions?" The group was silent. "Okay, good. Allow me to show you to your rooms then."

Derek led the women through the door that separated the stairs from the floor. There was a hall that extended from one end of the hallway to the other. It reminded Lizzie a lot of the hall in her old dorm at school, but this one wasn't decorated.

Derek led Lizzie and Kate left down the hall to about the fifth door on the right. He got a huge set of keys out of his pocket, shuffled through them for about a minute until he found the right key, and proceeded to unlock the door.

The inside strongly resembled a dorm room. There were two twin beds made with green comforters and two desks. Each desk had a bible with a burgundy cover on it. There were also two closets lined up next to each other on the right, and just beyond the closets was a door that presumably led into the bathroom. The bathroom was shared with the occupants in the room next to Lizzie. There was also a sink with a small counter sharing a wall with a huge window that reached from near the ceiling to the floor.

"Well, is it up to your standards?" Derek asked.

"It's everything I could have ever dreamed of and more," Lizzie breathed.

"It's wonderful," Kate added.

"Great. Dinner's at six tonight. That means you have about an hour to get situated."

"How will we know when dinner is?" Lizzie asked. "We don't have a clock."

"The bell in the church steeple will sound six times."

"I sure hope it doesn't keep going off at night."

"Nope. Actually, it only goes off at seven, noon, and six. We don't want anybody to feel burdened by time."

"Oh. That sounds kinda cool, I guess," Lizzie said.

"You'll get used to it," Derek replied, smiling.

"So I'll see you at dinner, then?" Lizzie asked, leaning in for a quick kiss. Derek backed away. Lizzie looked stunned.

"Sorry, Lizzie. It's just that one of the rules here is that Sal chooses who you will marry after six months. Before that, he doesn't want people seeing each other. He doesn't want two people to get close and then learn that God doesn't want them together."

"You mean Sal?"

"No. Sal has a special gift, I guess you could say. God chose Sal to be a messenger of some sort."

"Oh."

"Don't worry. I have a feeling God wants us together."

"That doesn't make me feel much better."

"I know, but I can guarantee you that God never messes up. He knows exactly who you will be happiest with."

"Well, maybe you could just put a harmless word in with Sal."

"We'll see."

"If you really want to be with me, I recommend that you have a little chat with Sal. Then maybe Sal can ask God if he agrees."

"Anything for you." Derek pecked Lizzie quickly on the lips before leaving to allow Lizzie and Kate get situated.

"I wonder who I'll end up with," Kate said. She had silently witnessed Lizzie and Derek's entire conversation from her bed.

"You can have anybody you want except for Derek. He's mine," Lizzie said as she sat down on her bed and took off her left shoe.

"Well, it doesn't look like we have much of a say anyways."

"Yeah. You'd think Derek would do absolutely everything in his power to see to it that Sal picks me and him to get married," Lizzie said as she took out the two pictures she had kept there and slid them under her mattress. Kate noticed, but didn't say anything.

"Reality check, Lizzie. You have been out with Derek on a grand total of like one date. He wouldn't be a major loss. I promise that at dinner we can pick out all of our potential husbands."

Lizzie frowned. "I want Derek."

"Fine. Keep Derek, but I'm shopping at dinner."

Lizzie laughed and tossed her pillow at Kate. Before Kate had a chance to retaliate, the bell rang for dinner. Lizzie ran out into the safety of the hallway before Kate had a chance to nail her with a pillow. The two girls laughed and joked as they headed down to dinner.

They walked downstairs laughing about this and that. It wasn't until they walked into the dining room that they realized they were the only ones talking. Every single other person who was entering the large, beautifully decorated room was silent. Lizzie turned red and contemplated running away, but before she had a chance to turn around, Sal spoke up.

"Good evening, ladies. Allow me to show you to your assigned seats." He graciously led them to one of the round tables covered in a burgundy table cloth near the windows that faced the back of the mansion.

After Lizzie and Kate were seated, and everybody had made it to the dining room, Sal walked up to the stage that had a single long table on it, donned with a white tablecloth. It was the only tablecloth in the dining room that wasn't burgundy. There were six seats that faced the dining room. Sal's seat was in the middle, Derek's was on the right of him, and there was another man that Lizzie didn't recognize on Sal's left. The other three seats were unoccupied. Lizzie wondered if they symbolized the father, son, and holy spirit or something.

"Before I say grace this evening," Sal said, snapping Lizzie out of her thoughts, "I would like to extend a special greeting to the final new members of Lamb of God." An excited hush went through the crowd, followed by an applause. "Let's say grace," Sal interrupted. The applause stopped immediately and everybody body bowed their heads.

After Sal's rather lengthy prayer ended, the tables were all invited to get their dinners at the buffet set up in front of the swinging kitchen doors.

The dinner was exceptional. Lizzie helped herself to a little bit of everything in the Italian themed buffet. She could get used to this kind of cooking. Throughout the entire dinner, not a word was uttered. The silence was almost eerie, and she had no idea why nobody was speaking.

After dinner, there was an hour break for the kitchen staff to clean up. Lizzie grabbed Derek and dragged him into a secluded room on the first floor.

"Is something the matter?" he asked after he and Lizzie were seated on an old fashioned couch.

"No. I just have about a million questions to ask."

"Go for it. I'm all ears."

"Why was everybody so quiet at dinner?"

"God strongly warns us about gluttony in the Bible more than once. Sal believes that entering dinner in a quiet and reflective manner allows people to think about what they're eating."

"Oh."

"What? You think that's stupid."

"Well, I guess I'm just not used to that yet."

"Give yourself time. You can't expect yourself to just fit in the first day you're here. There's a lot of changes you're gonna have to get used to."

"Is there anything else I should know to prevent any further embarrassment from occurring?"

"Well, if you must know, we're supposed to be silent from the time the bell rings for dinner to the end of the evening service."

"Oh. So we're breaking the rules right now?"

"Pretty much, but I think it's okay for me to break the rules to explain some stuff to you."

"Well, you probably won't like my next question much, then."

"I'm listening."

"Are we still…you know…together."

"Only if you'll have me."

"But how are we gonna keep this on the, uh, down low?"

"Meet me in the garage tomorrow after lunch. I'll have your answer there."

"Fine, but I have another question."

"Okay…"

"What is a typical day like here?"

"Well, a bell wakes you up thirty minutes before breakfast so you can get ready for the day. A bell rings again for breakfast. After breakfast, everybody goes out to do their job until another bell rings for lunch. After lunch, everybody goes to the chapel for an hour talk given by Sal. When his talk is done, everybody has free time to do whatever until dinner. After dinner, we all meet in the chapel for another session with Sal and then go to bed."

"What about the weekends? Are they any different?"

"The only day that's different is Sunday. God gives us one day of rest. So on Sundays, there is silence all day long and everybody fasts for the day. There is a full service in the morning, and then everybody is given the rest of the day to reflect."

"You mean we aren't fed on Sundays?"

"It's not so bad. Joel one 14 says, 'Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.' Like I've said a million times before, you'll get used to it."

"I don't know."

"Trust me on this one. Look, I wish we could talk longer, but we really are supposed to be quiet, and I have to go talk to Sal. I'll catch ya later." Sal squeezed Lizzie's hand, and exited the room.

A/N: Let me know what you're thinking. Reviews have slowed down a lot since the last couple of chapters have been updated. I would like to know that I still have your attention. Or if I don't have your attention, then I really want to hear from you.


	9. A New Life

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. So, since you all seem to still be with me, I thought that I would update sooner than usual. My first draft of the story is a few chapters away from being complete, so as long as the reviews keep coming in, I plan on updating fairly quickly from here on out.

Chapter 9: A New Life

Lizzie woke up from a deep sleep to the sound of a loud bell coming from the chapel. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the brilliant morning sunlight filtering through the large window in her and Kate's room. Lizzie looked over to Kate's bed. Her eyes were open as well.

The girls quickly took showers and brushed their teeth. They silently made their way to the breakfast table. After Sal's lengthy prayer and their hearty breakfast, Sal pulled aside the new people to tell them where their jobs were.

Sal explained how everybody was separated by groups. Each group was a different color. Each week they were assigned a different task, and the group got one week off during each rotation. The rotations included laundry, house keeping, yard work, meals. And sanctuary cleaning. Lizzie was put in the green group, and Kate was in the yellow group. That week, the yellow had off and green was doing yard work.

Being outside for her job made it easy for Lizzie to sneak off to the garage after lunch. She found a door on the side of the old building. She quietly opened the door and shut it behind her. It was dark and smelled musty. Lizzie wasn't so sure that she had made the right decision by agreeing to meet Derek here. She was starting to get really freaked out.

"Lizzie?" a voice asked, making her jump.

"Yes?" she replied. A light went on, and she was standing face to face with Derek. You scared me."

"Sorry."

"So what are we doing here?" Derek looked at Lizzie, smiled, and flipped the light switch off. The next thing Lizzie knew, she could feel Derek's lips on her own. "Wait," Lizzie said, pulling away. A million questions were still spinning around in her head. Derek flipped the light switch on. "This doesn't seem right that we have to see each other in secret. What gives Sal the right to pair people off? He's interfering with matters of the heart."

"He has special connections to God that nobody else has."

"Back that up with the Bible," Lizzie challenged.

"Uhh. He's sorta like Moses or the apostle Paul. God chose Sal to help us. To lead us out of Egypt, or out of the materialistic life in this case."

"Materialistic? So having this huge mansion, story book church, and that Lexus," Lizzie pointed to the black car parked next to the van in the garage, "Aren't considered materialistic?"

"Did you give up everything and trust God that you would be taken care of at Lamb of God? This is your reward."

"Reward?"

"Yeah. God takes favor in those willing to sacrifice everything. In Mark ten, there's a story about a rich man. The rich man asks Jesus what he can do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell everything and follow him."

"I know, but I'm still living richly. I mean where did all of this money come from anyways?"

"A multi-millionaire donated his estate when he joined, and spent what he had left to build the church and pay taxes. Look, you don't need to worry about that stuff. All you have to do now is worship God for the rest of your life. Revelation fourteen seven says, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of judgment had come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.'"

"So you mean I don't have to worry about anything? As in nothing at all?"

"Pretty much. Matthew six thirty-four says, 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.' No longer do you have the weight of the world to bring you down. The world is no longer part of your life."

All of a sudden, the burden Lizzie had been bearing lifted off of her. She felt like she could fly. She flung her arms around Derek and gave him a fiery kiss.

Derek look surprised, but quickly relaxed and gave into Lizzie's lips.

As her first week progressed, Lizzie learned the customs that Lamb of God had. Bed time was promptly at sunset, and everybody was woken up by a quick-paced contemporary worship song on an amplified trumpet promptly at sunrise. Sal believed God created night to sleep and day to play, so everybody slept more during the winter and played more during the summer.

Every morning, Lizzie had a half hour to get down to breakfast where Sal gave a quite lengthy prayer over the meal. Lizzie quickly learned that the food was quite exceptional. There were two chefs that had joined Lamb of God a while ago, and they quickly made the kitchen theirs. Common breakfast foods included bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, grits, toast, waffles, etcetera.

After breakfast, everybody went to the chapel for a morning lecture given by Sal. When the lecture was over, everybody went off to do their assigned jobs. At promptly noon, everybody was beckoned by the church bell for lunch and Sal made another lengthy blessing for the food. After lunch was free time until dinner when Sal made yet another prayer. After dinner, everybody congregated in the chapel for a service that lasted until sunset, when everybody went directly to bed.

Free time was Lizzie's favorite part of the day. Her and Derek spent countless hours in the garage making out, and when Derek was busy helping Sal with this and that, Lizzie went to her room and read her bible. She wasn't sure why she was so fascinated by it. Her favorite story was the one where Jesus was tempted by the devil after fasting for forty days and forty nights. She wasn't sure why that story stood out more than the rest, but she quickly learned it enough to recite it without even thinking.

Other activities that several people did during the free time included hiking, praying, meeting in small bible study groups, and doing anything Sal considered glorifying to God.

It had been about three weeks, and Kate and Lizzie were lying down on their beds shortly after sunset. Lizzie was staring at the ceiling, and Kate wasn't asleep, either.

"Lizzie?" Kate asked.

"Huh?"

"Have you ever like somebody before, but wasn't sure what to do because regardless of how they felt about you, their beliefs would force themselves to not pursue anything?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I've been getting to know Sal, and I think I like him."

"Sal? Isn't he kinda old for you?"

"He went to school with Derek, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but Sal graduated long before him. Derek told me he met Sal when he was a freshman, and Sal was taking a few extra religion classes at WCU part time before starting up Lamb of God."

"So how old does that make him?"

"I don't know. Maybe late twenties, early thirties?" Lizzie had noticed that Sal wasn't the most gorgeous thing to look at, either. He was kind of short. He had non descript brown hair and a very obvious receding hair line. His brown eyes seemed a little bit small for his face, and he had a bump on his already oversized nose. Not to mention, he wasn't the thinnest person she had ever laid eyes on.

"I still like him."

"Well, don't get too excited yet. Derek told me Sal chooses who will marry who after they've been here for a minimum of eight months."

"Oh. Well, thanks for listening. We better go to sleep before we get in trouble."

Lizzie agreed and closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

The next afternoon, after lunch, Sal pulled Lizzie aside into his office.

"Take a seat," he said, motioning to a chair in front of his intimidating large oak desk. Lizzie carefully took a seat as Sal sat in his large leather office chair on the other side of the desk. "So how has Lamb of God been working out for you up to this point?" The way Sal looked into her eyes seemed so genuine. Lizzie felt like she was the only one that mattered to Sal when he looked at her like that.

"Good so far," Lizzie replied, wondering where the conversation was headed.

"So far? What do you mean by that?" Sal folded his hands together and placed them on his desk.

"I just meant that I've enjoyed myself for the past few weeks since my arrival."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. And what about your roommate? Is that working out nicely?"

"Yes."

"Has she said anything that would cause, um, concern or, uh-"

"Look, since you seem interested, yes, Kate likes you. But let me make one point here. You are not Kate's type, and I don't think you should pursue her. I know she's a nice girl and very pretty, but she needs a guy that is more easy going and-"

"I didn't ask you for you opinion," Sal interrupted in a strangely pleasant voice. "I asked you a simple question. That's all. Please understand that I know what's best for you, for me, for Kate, and for everybody, and I will act accordingly. I've notice that you've questioned more things than anybody else around here. You don't have to do that anymore. You let me do all of the worrying. You are simply here to worship God without question. I'm here to relieve you of all other burdens. Jesus says in Luke twelve twenty five, 'Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?'"

Strangely enough, Sal's speech did calm Lizzie down. But wasn't it God, not Sal, that knew what was best for her, and Sal was the messenger who told her? Lizzie shrugged it off, though. He probably didn't realize what he had said.

Kate didn't say anything else about Sal, and Sal didn't say anything more about Kate, but Lizzie notice that Kate often disappeared during free time and was appointed to the new position of secretary that Sal claimed had become necessary with all of the paper work.

A/N: This is where the story really starts to get good. So, keep on letting me know what you're thinking. I'm especially curious to know what you think will happen next. For example, what do you think is going to happen between Kate and Sal? And what do you think of Sal? 


	10. News

A/N: Sorry that it has been so long. I thought that I would have more spare time in the summer, but it turns out that when you're starting your first year of college in the fall, everything becomes hectic beyond belief. So, here's your long awaited chapter.

Chapter 10: News

A month went by, and then two, and then three. Before Lizzie knew it, it was September, or almost September. She didn't have any way of really knowing except by the seasons. The leaves were beginning to change color, and the grounds put on a beautiful color show. Lizzie thought about how beautiful of a postcard the mansion would make with the trees in the background. She could send it to Matt. Lizzie wondered if Matt and Malina were married yet. Maybe Malina was pregnant. That would make Lizzie an aunt. In fact, Lizzie would be their child's only aunt. 

Lizzie also knew that her friends were returning to West Coast University for their junior year. Lizzie wondered how Ronny and Ethan were doing, and if Gordo had a good time in Los Angeles. She also wondered if Claire was okay and if Tudge was going to go back to school. And what about Miranda? Lizzie's heart sank at the thought of her former best friend. She didn't even know if Miranda was alive. A hot tear trickled down Lizzie's face. She looked outside of her window, where the beautiful colors of Autumn were blurred by her tears. Then, Lizzie let out a sob, followed by another, and another. Lizzie wondered about her family. She wondered if her mother and father were still together and if her mother had ever come to terms with Matt's engagement. And what about herself? Had her family and friends forgotten her? Had they all moved on with their lives without her?

A fresh wave of sobs shook Lizzie. She missed her old life so much that it hurt for her to breathe.

"Lizzie?" Kate's concerned voice inquired from the door. After one look at Lizzie's blotchy, tear-stained face, Kate quickly shut the door and ran over to Lizzie to give her a hug. "Lizzie, what's wrong?" she asked.

Lizzie told Kate about how she missed her friends and family, and how she wondered if they were okay. Kate sat there and listened to Lizzie, but not one tear stole its way down Kate's face. "Aren't you at least a little bit homesick?" Lizzie finally asked Kate.

"This is home," Kate calmly replied.

"Yeah, but don't you ever wonder about your old life and what's become of it?"

"When I chose to come here, I chose to forget it. All of it."

"You can't just erase the past."

"I'm not worried about the past. I'm too busy being excited about what's to come."

"What do you mean by that?" Kate seemed so calm that she was nearly glowing.

"I'm getting married," Kate replied, smiling.

"What!" Lizzie screeched. She wasn't sure if her what had been out of happiness or alarm, though.

"Yup. Sal asked me just before I came up here."

"But what about the eight months rule?"

"Sal said that God said that we were to be the exception. What's wrong?"

Lizzie was still skeptical, though. "So, he loves you?"

"Love isn't what matters. God wants us together. Love will come in its own time."

Lizzie didn't like that answer. Kate was undoubtedly hiding something. "What aren't you telling me, Kate?"

"I wouldn't hide anything from you," Kate replied, sounding offended.

"Kate, I'm your best friend. You know that anything you say won't leave this room."

"Fine. You want to know the truth? Well, here it is. I'm pregnant. That's right. Pregnant. With Sal's baby. So we decided that the best solution to this mishap is to wed tomorrow. Then we can tell everybody that is was conceived after we were married. Look, I know that God warns against fornication in the bible, but we were alone, and temptation got the best of us."

All Lizzie could do to soften the blow of Kate's news was to sit there bug-eyed, staring at Kate.

All that Lizzie could think about during dinner was Kate, and every time Lizzie looked at Kate, she saw Malina, which made Lizzie wonder if she would get to be an aunt soon. The thought of being an aunt reminded Lizzie of her family. Lizzie's family reminded her of Hildredge, and her friends… The thoughts were screaming through Lizzie's head all through dinner. The silence in the spacious dining room only seemed to make the screams in her head louder, and all Lizzie wanted to do was scream out loud and run until she couldn't breathe or run any longer. 

Lizzie hardly even noticed when Sal stood up and announced his and Kate's wedding that would happen the very next afternoon right after the afternoon service.

The Wedding was a big, boisterous occasion for Lamb of God. It was a crisp, clear, sunny day. Everybody was talking loudly, laughing heartily, and smiling. Lizzie just couldn't get into the spirit of the occasion, though. While everybody else was surrounding the soon to be wed couple, Lizzie was in her room reading her bible. She read Matthew four over and over again. It was the story where Satan tried to tempt Jesus after he had fasted in the desert for forty days and forty nights. She already had it memorized better than the size of her shoe, but reading it, rather than reciting the story seemed to make it more real.

The chapel bell rang for lunch. Lizzie took her assigned seat next to Kate. The two ate in silence, but every time Lizzie looked at her friend, she wanted to stand up and scream. Lizzie desperately want to tell Kate to dump Sal, and that she was going to marry him for all of the wrong reasons, but Lizzie kept her mouth shut.

At the end of lunch, Sal invited Kate to come up and sit in one of the three empty chairs at his table, still donned in the pure white tablecloth.

Lizzie kept quiet throughout the entire wedding ceremony held in the chapel. After the ceremony was over, Lizzie quickly stole away to her room. Kate's two other uniforms were folded neatly in a pile. Her bible was on top of the pile, still perfectly intact. Lizzie's bible, on the other hand, was so used, the binding was coming undone and loose pages were shoved between the proper page numbers. Lizzie stared at Kate's bed. Besides that pile of Kate's possessions, was only the mattress. 

Looking at the mattress reminded Lizzie of something. Lizzie lifted the bottom corner of her own mattress up, and the two pictures she had hidden there the day Lizzie arrived, lay unscathed in their hiding place. She sat on her bed and stared at the picture of her and Matt, and the other one of her, Miranda, and Gordo. Tears cascaded down Lizzie's face as she wished so hard that it hurt that they were all okay. As Lizzie looked at the pictures, her tears of homesickness turned to tears of rage. Lizzie clenched her teeth and her fists, crumpling the pictures.

Lizzie's head screamed at her, "Why?" over and over again until Lizzie couldn't bear it any longer. She violently ripped both pictures to shreds and flushed them down the toilet. With one simple gurgle, the only evidence Lizzie had of her former life was gone. Vanished. All she had left were a few battered memories.

Lizzie sat back down on her bed and stared out her window. The trees seemed even more brilliantly colored than before. It was at that spot that Lizzie asked God to forgive her for keeping those pictures of her old life. Lizzie asked God for guidance, and prayed with all of her heart that she would follow Sal until the day she died.

A/N: Review, review, review! 


	11. The Last Winter

A/N: I felt bad about waiting so long to update the last chapter, so I thought that I would give you another one. This is pretty much where things start getting good.

Chapter 11: The Last Winter

Days went by, and then weeks, and then months. The blazing colors of the fall turned brown, and the once dazzling trees became bare. A beautiful blanket of snow laid itself to rest over Lamb of God. Eventually, the lovely blanket of snow evaporated and all that was left was the dead brown grass and gray sky. Lizzie guessed that it was probably February, but she had no way of knowing for sure.

Kate was clearly showing by this point. She was due in about another two months or so.

After Lizzie made her promise to God last fall, she promptly dumped Derek. Lizzie also joined a small bible study and hung on to Sal's every last word. Lizzie learned to love Sal's lengthy prayers and three lectures a day. Lizzie's favorite day was Sunday, though. Lizzie loved to be quiet and alone without interruption more than anything else. Lizzie loved fasting, too. Meals seemed to be more of a distraction from reading the bible. Right after the service on Sunday mornings, she went up to her room, sat on her bed, facing the window, and read until it was too dark to see.

Lizzie never got a new roommate. Her group had been the last to arrive at Lamb of God, and she had a feeling they would stay the last group.

"The time has come," Sal said. It was another Sunday in the gray dankness of February. Sal was beginning yet another one of his lectures. "That's right." He looked into the faces of his congregation. "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. REPENT!" The word shook the room. "And believe the good news. The kingdom of God is near. Just ask Mark. He wrote it in the first chapter, verse 15.

"Mark wasn't the only one who knew this, either. Matthew says in chapter ten, verse seven, 'As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near'.' And Luke chapter ten verse eleven states, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' In Luke chapter 21, Jesus warns us of the signs to look for when the kingdom of God is approaching. Verse ten and 11 say, 'Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.'"

Sal was silent for a second. He looked around at the silent congregation, soaking in his every word. "I'm here to tell you, good people, that the day of the Lord draws nearer. God's chosen land of Israel battle with the nation of Pakistan. The great earthquake under God's ocean has caused a tsunami that has killed thousands in Thailand. The drought causing famine in Africa shows no sign of mercy as AIDS continues to destroy them as well. Terrorists continue to stir fear in hearts of many, as they have attacked London, Christians continue to be persecuted, and Pope John Paul II is dead." Sal was silent again.

Lizzie wanted Sal to go on. She hadn't heard a single current since eight months ago when she had arrived. Lizzie wanted to know how the pope died. Was he murdered? And what about the tsunami? And was the terrorist attack in London as bad or worse than the one on the twin towers? She wanted, no, she needed details.

"All we need is a sign from heaven. God is waiting. He is waiting for the right time to come, and that time is now," Sal continued. Lizzie felt a chill run down her spine. "That may mean today, or maybe tomorrow. Nobody knows for sure. First Thessalonians five verse on and two say, 'Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.' God has not given me an exact time or date, but he promised me that we will not see another winter before the kingdom of God is restored. So, brother and sisters, go with these words from the book of Revelation chapter 22 verses 20 and 21. 'He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God's people, amen.'"

A hushed "amen" was murmured throughout the congregation. Lizzie got up in a daze, and then hurried to her room to read her bible.

Lizzie truly wanted to believe Sal, but something wasn't quite right. Lizzie had done everything she could to blindly follow Sal since last fall. She blocked all of her own opinions out of her head. Lizzie was just starting to get caught up in the life at Lamb of God when Sal preached that sermon.

Lizzie opened her bible to Luke 21. She had read it before and remembered that Luke had talked about end times. Lizzie smiled when she saw the passage titled "Signs of the End of the Age." She began to read, and stopped at verse eight. She read it again and again and again. The verse said, "Jesus replied: 'Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and 'The time is near.' So do not follow them."

Lizzie's heart pounded. She noticed that Sal was one of them, but something else was making her heart pound harder.

Lizzie thought about the scripture, amazed at how Sal could come up with so many verses in the Bible to prove his point. In fact, it seemed like Sal and Derek could use scripture to back up anything and everything they said.

Lizzie's heart did not stop pounding. She turned to her favorite story in Matthew. She carefully read chapter 4 verse one to 11, even though she had memorized it. It said:

Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'

Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every work that comes from the mouth of God.'

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'Throw yourself down, for it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will not strike you foot against a stone."

Jesus answered him, 'It is also written: 'So not put the Lord your God to the test."

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.'

Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

Then the devil left him and angels came and attended him.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Lizzie. She realized why she was always doubting Sal and his rules. It was almost like she had subconsciously known why she was so interested in Matthew 4 all along. Anybody could use scripture. It didn't take a Christian to read something from the bible, memorize it, and throw it out where it fit their interests. Even the devil had used scripture to temp Jesus. No wonder she wasn't ever able to completely trust Sal. No wonder she had become obsessed with reading her bible. The bible was contradicting Sal.

Lizzie was excited about her discovery. It had driven her crazy since she first read Matthew four, but what next? Lizzie had never seen anybody leave Lamb of God before, but she wasn't even sure she wanted to leave. Lizzie almost doubted that her family even remembered her, and even if they did, why would they let her back in? Lizzie had rejected them, and they seemed to have every right to reject her now.

Lizzie sighed. She had never felt so confused before in her life.

A/N: I'm noticing a lot of hits on my story. Thirty-four on my last chapter, to be more exact, but I didn't have nearly that many reviews. I would love to hear what the other 32 of you are thinking as well. In fact, I accept unsigned reviews as well as signed reviews, so nobody has an excuse to not send me a review! 


	12. Prison Bars

Chapter 12 Prison Bars 

The next morning, while Lizzie was sitting on her bed reading her bible, she was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," Lizzie said.

Kate's face appeared in the opened door. "I'm not bothering you, am I?" Kate asked.

"No! Kate, this is still your room as much as it's mine. Please, come in," Lizzie said, standing up. Kate closed the door and sat on her former bed. Her belly was showing more and more everyday. Lizzie sat down across from Kate, facing her. "What's up?"

"We haven't talked in a while. You know, since I got pregnant and all."

"Yeah. So how's the pregnancy coming along? What's the doctor been saying?"

"Doctor? Lizzie, you know as well as me that nobody leaves this pace except for Sal and Derek. Sal said that God will take care of me, and that's all I need to make it through this pregnancy."

Lizzie was astonished. "Do you believe that God will take care of you?"

Kate paused. "Well…first Peter five seven says, 'Cast all you anxiety on God because her cares for you,'"

"Is that what Sal told you?"

"It doesn't matter who told me. It's in black and white in the Bible. It's a direct quote. Sal's the messenger, telling us all we need to know. I mean, don't you believe God will take care of us? Isn't that sorta the point of being a Christian and all?"

"Well, yes, but I think that your idea of how God will take care of you isn't exactly how I think of it."

"What?"

"Well, I suppose Sal told you what context it was in."

"What are you talking about, Lizzie? Maybe I'm just crazy, but are you contradiction Sal?"

"First Peter five verse six: 'Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.'" Kate was silent. "Verse eight through ten: 'Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  
'And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.'"

Kate scowled. "Are you calling my husband, and our savior the devil?"

"Sal didn't save us from anything." Lizzie's voice was growing dangerously loud. "Jesus saved us from sin. All Sal is doing is saving us from God's calling to be Christians."

"And just what is our calling?" Kate snapped.

"To tell every nation about Jesus. Look, Kate, the point was to warn you that there is suffering in the world, and being a good person won't save you from pain."

"So what you're telling me is that God won't take care of me, and the only way I will have a healthy baby is if I see a doctor?"

"No! What I'm saying is that God cares about us, but we're a fallen people, so we will suffer. I just wanted to clarify what God was saying in first Peter. That one verse didn't give a clear enough picture. And as for the doctor, I think you should see one, but that's really none of my business."

"Lizzie, you're scaring me. Let's just pretend this conversation never happened, okay?"

Lizzie could feel her chest grow tight. She wanted to explode. How could Kate just throw away everything Lizzie just said? "So what I said means nothing to you?" Lizzie asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Lizzie, no matter what happens, I'm not leaving this place. Where would I go? This is my life, whether I like it or not. I'll see you at lunch." Kate stood up, walked out the door and quietly shut it behind her.

Lizzie stared at the door, blurred by the tears running down her cheek into the open bible on her lap. She was alone. The people didn't come to Lamb of God to follow Sal or worship Christ. They came to Lamb of God because they felt that they had absolutely nothing to lose. Lamb of God was the easy way out of life.

After lunch, Sal pulled Lizzie aside and asked to meet with her in an hour.

Lizzie took in a shaky breath as she knocked on Sal's door. Lizzie had just met with her bible study, so she had her ratty bible in her arms.

"Come in," Sal's voice commanded through the closed door. Lizzie timidly opened the door into Sal's intimidating office. Sal motioned for Lizzie to sit in front of his large desk. Sal rose from his chair on the other side of the desk and walked around to the side that Lizzie was on. "Good afternoon," he said, but clearly he had an agenda.

"G-good afternoon," Lizzie stammered. She wondered if Sal could see her heart beating. Sal had a way of making Lizzie scared of him. As he took a breath to speak, Lizzie quickly, in an attempt to defer Sal from his agenda, sputtered, "Congratulations on you and Kate. I know you'll make a great father. You are such a great example to this place by getting married and then having children. I mean, wow, you and Kate are perfect for-"

"Thank you, Lizzie," Sal cut in.

"You're welcome," Lizzie mumbled. She felt ashamed. Not only had she made it clear that Sal had the advantage in the conversation, but she had just told a whole slew of lies in only a few sentences.

"I noticed that your bible is starting to fall apart," Sal said, clearly back to his agenda. He sat down across from Lizzie.

"Yeah."

"You must be spending a lot of time with it. Not even the first people who came here have nearly that much war and tear on theirs."

"I guess you could say that I find it to be a fascinating book." Lizzie wasn't sure whether or not to keep her guard up. It seemed to be almost a friendly, casual conversation.

"Yeah. Maybe a little too fascinating."

"What?" Okay, clearly this wasn't a casual conversation.

"What I mean is that you just don't seem to be fitting in, and maybe you bible is getting between you and making friends here. You've got the rest of your life here, and I don't see how you can truly be happy without at least one close friend."

The thought of Lizzie spending the rest of her life at Lamb of God made her sick. "I have Kate."

"Lizzie, Kate is married. Her husband is her best friend."

"You're her husband."

"Yes."

"So you don't want me to be friends with Kate anymore?"

"This morning, Kate came into my office looking very upset. I asked her where she had been, and she said she had been chatting with you."

"You know, you're pretty sneaky," Lizzie said. Maybe this was her chance to tell Sal how wrong he was. "You knew that if you asked Kate if she was okay, she would have said that she was fine. So instead you asked where she was so you would have a better idea as to what she was up to, and by acting like you didn't notice that she was upset, you got out not only where she was, but what she was doing. You obviously don't trust her, and I bet you thought she was with me, so I'm assuming that you don't trust me, either."

"That was very Sherlock of you, but not true. However, by what you just said, I can safely say that you do not trust me, because you're questioning a simple question."

Lizzie was stumped. She may find Sal to be a manipulative jerk, but that didn't make him, by any means, stupid. "What do you want from me?" Lizzie asked, afraid that she was caving.

"I want your Bible. I think, and God thinks, that your Bible is being very, say… counterproductive. I'll give it back after you've made some friends and fit in here a little better."

Lizzie couldn't believe her ears. "You want my bible?"

"Yes."

"No. No, you cannot have it. It's my only connection to God."

"NO!" Sal yelled, suddenly bursting out of his usually cunning self. "I'M YOU'RE CONNECTION TO GOD!" As he said it, he stood up and pounded his hands on his desk.

Lizzie wanted to hide, but she couldn't just give up. "It's funny that you should mention that, because I was starting to think that you actually came before God."

Sal walked around his desk to where Lizzie was sitting. She was scared, but she couldn't give up, no matter how badly she wanted to run. "Give me your bible," Sal said through clenched teeth. "Now."

Lizzie stood up and looked Sal in the eye. She was still gripping her bible. " 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.' "

"Give me your bible," Sal repeated.

" 'He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.' "

"Now."

" 'He restores my soul.' "

"Lizzie, you're trying my patience."

" 'He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.' "

"I'm not kidding."

" 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.' "

"Give me your bible."

" 'For you are with me; your rod and your staff the comfort me.' "

"I SAID GIVE ME YOU DAMN BIBLE!" Sal grabbed Lizzie's arm and wrenched her bible from her grasp.

"No!" Lizzie cried, trying to grab it back. Sal slapped Lizzie's face. As her head turned from the flow, she saw Mary, one of Kate's close friends, standing in the door, eyes wide. Sal saw Mary too.

"Leave," he commanded Lizzie. Lizzie ran. She ran past Mary, down the grand staircase, through the front door, across the lawn, all the way to the front gate. She grabbed the bars and shook them with all of her might, but they didn't budge. Lizzie kept on shaking until she was so tired and frustrated that she just fell to the ground in a heap of tears.

"God, help me," Lizzie pleaded. "Help me, please."

A/N: Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. Six is definitely an improvement, and I thank those of you who said something, and I hope that you keep letting me know what you're thinking.  
Also, I have a question. I'm brain-storming ideas for another story. I was wondering what you all want to read. What is the ideal Lizzie McGuire story to you? I need all of the ideas that I can get, and I know that a lot of you wish that somebody would write a story about what you want.


	13. Premature

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. All of the positive feedback that I am recieving is very encouraging.

Chapter 13 Premature

After Lizzie's outburst, Sal locked Lizzie in her room for an indefinite amount of time. A few days into Lizzie's punishment, however, Kate paid Lizzie a visit.

"How did you get in here?" Lizzie asked Kate after she let herself in.

"Sal said that I could come and see you. He was hoping that I could convince you that he's not a bad person."

"Why can't he say it to my face?"

"Lizzie, Sal's ashamed. He feels guilty, and he wants you to cool down."

"I've been chilling in here for the past three freaking days. All of my meals have been delivered up to my room, I can't use my own damn bathroom without asking permission from the person freaking guarding my door. If Sal felt so guilty, he would have sent me flowers and a card or something, not a guard and some solitary confinement."

"I'm sorry, Lizzie. Sal wasn't sure what to do. He's never had to deal with demon possession before."

"Demon possession?" Lizzie asked, completely confused.

"Yeah. He told everybody that somehow a demon got into you and so he had to send you into solitary confinement to rid you of it."

"Which commandment do you suppose thou shall not lie falls under?" Lizzie was almost sure that Sal told Mary the slap was to remove the demon too. Great.

"What?"

"Do you seriously believe that I was possessed by a demon?"

"That what Sal said…"

"Well, Sal doesn't' exactly have a perfect record, either. Allow me to inform you of what commandments he had broken so far. We can start with thou shall not commit adultery-"

"Lizzie, I committed adultery with him. I'm just as guilty of that one."

"Yes, but he's our leader, our example. He should be stronger then that. He also slapped me. I do believe that goes under the thou shall not murder commandment."

"He slapped you?" Kate asked, incredulously. "What happened?"

"I wasn't sent to my room because of some demon. Sal invited me into his office because he wanted my Bible. He said it was preventing me from making friends, and God wanted that more than he wanted me reading the Bible. When I said no, he first started yelling until he got so frustrated that he slapped me. That's when Mary saw and I ran."

"Mary saw Sal slap you?"

"Uh huh, but I bet Sal told Mary that he was trying to get the demon out of me."

"Most likely."

"Does this mean that you believe me?"

"Lizzie, I'm torn. You are my friend, and you've never given me a reason not to trust you, but Sal is my husband. I mean, I'm having his baby."

"I don't think that's your issue, Kate. Your problem is that you are seven months pregnant with the other side of the story, and no matter how bad Sal is, you don't really want to leave him because you have nowhere to go."

"Maybe that's it, and maybe it's not, but you're right that the verdict remains that I'm not leaving. Ever." Lizzie and Kate were silent. Lizzie wasn't angry at Kate. She already knew how Kate felt and she could kind of see why Kate didn't want to leave.

"Lizzie, can I tell you something personal? I mean, it's probably nothing, but I think I would feel better sharing it with someone I trust."

"What's up?" Lizzie asked, concerned.

"Something's just doesn't seem right."

"With Sal"  
"No. With my baby," Kate said, looking down at her stomach.

"Kate! You need to go to a doctor, now!"

"Lizzie, don't panic. It's probably nothing."

"I don't care if it's probably nothing. Your maternal instinct is telling you that something isn't right. Kate, this is your child we're talking about. Even if it is nothing, you should get it checked out. You or your baby's life could be in danger."

"Lizzie, I don't know what to do!" Kate wailed. "Even if I did want it to get checked out, I couldn't. Sal would never let me leave."

"Kate, we have to get you out of here."

"I already told you. I'm not leaving. This is home. My life is here."

"Kate, we're practically being held hostage here. How could you possibly not want to leave?"

"I get a place to live, a small amount of work, and three meals a day here. Life is easy."

"You would rather be locked up and have an easy life, than have some drama, but be free?"

"Yes."

"Well, regardless, you need to see a doctor."

"Lizzie, I can't."

"I have an idea," Lizzie said. Kate raised her brown in skepticism, but kept her mouth shut. "Tomorrow at dinner, you can be getting up after just having had your supper, and suddenly pass out. I'll rush to your side and tell Sal that you need a doctor. Sal will be so caught up in the moment that he'll undoubtedly call an ambulance."

"You know, that just might work, but one problem."

"What's that?"

"You're still locked in your room."

"Okay. Fine. Do it the first dinner I'm set free for."

"Sounds good. I'll go tell Sal that you're acting sane and that the demon is undoubtedly gone."

"Thanks. Add that I'm truly sorry for disobeying him, too."

"Okay." Kate got up and left Lizzie's room, locking the door behind her.

The next morning, Sal came into Lizzie's room.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," Lizzie replied. She paused, then continued. "I just want to say that I am so sorry for the way that I defied you. You are practically God's right hand man." Sal smiled. "And whatever you say is always what's right. So, I'm very sorry, and I deserve to be locked up in here forever."

"Now Lizzie, God doesn't want me to put my followers in a prison. I was just concerned with your sudden outburst. Whether you felt it or not, a demon got into you. However, you seemed cured now, so I'll let you go."

Lizzie would have known if she was possessed with a demon, and she wasn't, but she wasn't going to say anything. She had to help Kate get to a doctor. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," Lizzie gushed, throwing her arms around Sal's neck. "If it weren't for God, I'd worship you."

"Yes. Good. Now go downstairs and get your breakfast. The bell is going to ring in about 30 seconds."

"Thank you," Lizzie said again, and quickly pecked Sal on the cheek.

The second Sal was out of sight, Lizzie violently wiped her lips on her sleeve. Her acting set her free, but did she really have to kiss the slime ball? Lizzie hoped that she would never have to do something like that again.

At breakfast, Lizzie saw Kate silently eating her breakfast next to Sal. The silent meals Lamb of God had still freaked Lizzie out, but there was nothing that she could do.

All of a sudden, in the middle of breakfast, Kate said, "Oh my God. I think that I'm going into labor!" Her face was white.

Lizzie was confused. She thought that they were going to pull their stunt at dinner. Oh well. Lizzie stood up and said, "Kate! Are you okay?" Lizzie ran over to where Kate was sitting. Sal had grabbed Kate's hand and was staring at her.

Kate looked straight at Lizzie and in a completely panicked voice said, "No! Oh God, it hurts." Her eyes were huge. Lizzie had no idea that Kate was such a great actress.

"B-but you aren't supposed to have our baby for another two months," Sal said. He looked completely confused. He regained his composure enough to address everybody sitting at their tables. "Please take your breakfast somewhere else. I need everybody to leave, now." Everybody immediately picked up their plates and left. Not one person stayed to make sure that Kate was okay. The only people left in the room were now Kate, Sal, and Lizzie.

"What's going on?" Derek asked from behind Lizzie. Lizzie almost jumped. She had no idea that Derek had stayed.

"I-I d-don't know," Sal replied.

"She needs to go to the hospital," Lizzie said, urgently.

Sal gave Lizzie a withering look. "You know that God doesn't want anybody leaving this place."

"If that baby is born now, it will die without proper medical attention. It's still a month premature," Lizzie replied. Kate was breaking into a sweat now.

"Two months," Sal corrected.

"Right," Lizzie said, but she knew the truth. Kate had been pregnant for a month before her and Sal's wedding, so the baby was actually one month premature. "Two months."

"Sweetie, let me take you to our room," Sal said to Kate.

"I-I can't stand up," Kate said in a voice that sent chills down Lizzie's spine. Clearly, Kate was not acting.

"Call an ambulance, NOW!" Lizzie shouted. She grabbed Kate's hand. It was clammy, but Kate was still sweating.

"Lizzie, help me, please," Kate whispered.

"If you don't get professional help right now, you could loose Kate and her baby," Lizzie said to Sal.

"God will take care of her," Sal replied, confident.

"The same way He took care of the thousands of people who died in that tsunami thing? Sure, God will take care of her. I don't doubt that, but he doesn't have to let her live to do that. He could easily take care of her by bringing her to heaven."

"If it is God's will that he take Kate early, then far be it from me to stop him," Sal replied.

Kate just stared at Sal and coldly dropped his hand. "You would rather let me die than get me to the hospital?" Tears were streaming down her face.

Sal looked stunned. Lizzie finally had him. Just then, though, Kate let out a blood-curdling scream. "Kate, I need you to lay down," Lizzie said, sending up a short prayer to God. 

A/N: What are you thinking? I'd love to hear from all of you. Also, nobody told me what type of stuff they want to read. I'm still interested in what kind of plots you want for my next fan fiction. 


	14. A Proposal

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Hopefully this will make up for it. Also, I tried to update yesterday, but I typed out the wrong chapter. So, here's the correct chapter.

Chapter 15 A Proposal

"It is with inexplicable grief that I must come up here to tell you that one of God's children, and my first child, did not survive. God does not want us hanging onto the past, though. Rather, he is calling us to look into the future as our days here on Earth are numbered." It was the evening service, and Sal was preaching. Just that morning, Kate had lost her first child. "Today, I want to talk to you about your calling in these final days."

Lizzie was sitting the back of the chapel. Kate had been excused for the next few days while she recovered. Lizzie knew she should pay strict attention to what Sal was saying. Not only had she made a game of disproving what Sal preached with her bible, but with everything going on with Kate and their escape, Lizzie needed every slightest hint about what Sal was thinking.

Kate and Lizzie's plan right now to escape was to have Kate act like she needed Sal more than ever to make him feel more secure. Meanwhile, Lizzie would keep a low profile.

"In the name of God the father." Sal had completed his sermon. As hushed amens filled the room, Sal didn't leave his position at the pulpit. "Now, usually this time is used for silent reflection, but God has called something to my attention that cannot wait. I got a request from a young man here at Lamb of God for a certain female's hand in marriage, and God has put it on my heart to give him a chance to ask her." A hushed whisper spread through the room. Lizzie's heart started pounding. What was wrong with her? It's not like this had anything to do with her. She wasn't close to any male at the present time, and she hadn't been close to Derek in a long time. Lizzie's heart dropped. Derek. "Derek, I do believe you have a question to ask a certain woman in this room."

Derek confidently rose out of his seat in the front pew and joined Sal behind the pulpit. Derek began to speak. "I know that we've had our differences in the past, and I know that we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you. There is nobody in Lamb of God who I want to marry besides you," Derek said, looking directly into Lizzie's eyes in the back pew. Derek left the pulpit and started walking down the center aisle towards the back where Lizzie was now standing. His eyes never left her's as she met him in the aisle. Derek took Lizzie's hand and got down on his knee. "Lizzie," he said, "Will you marry me?"  
Lizzie didn't know what to do. She had always liked Derek. He was the one who held her hand as her life crumbled around her, and he had risked his position at Lamb of God to be with her. But there was also Kate and Sal and her need to escape. Lizzie knew she couldn't ask Derek to run away with her and Kate because he was on top with Sal. Lizzie couldn't let Kate down, not after everything that had just happened, but Lizzie could actually see herself finally settling down at Lamb of God with Derek at her side.

"Lizzie?" Derek said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"No…" Lizzie said slowly. "I mean yes," she quickly corrected. "I mean, I don't know. I- I need to think," she mumbled, letting go of Derek's hand and running out of the chapel.

For the first time in a long time, Lizzie knew where she was running to. And for the first time in a long time, Lizzie was running to a person who she knew she could trust.

Lizzie was out of breath by the time she made it up to her room. Kate was quietly sitting on her old bed reading Lizzie's beat-up bible.

Kate looked up as Lizzie barged through the door, out of breath. "What happened?" Kate asked, panicked.

Lizzie flopped down on her bed. "I don't know what to do," Lizzie wailed.

"Lizzie, tell me what's going on," Kate's voice was still panicked.

"It's Derek. He wants me to marry him."

"And you said no, right?"

"No."

"You said yes?" Kate sounded angry.

"I don't know. I told him that I don't know. There were so many people, and he loves me, and he even got down on one knee. And what he said to me…" Lizzie's voice trailed off.

"Lizzie, look at me." Kate's voice sounded desperate. "You can't marry Derek. You spent months telling me that we didn't belong here, but no matter how hard you tried, I wouldn't listen. I had to lose a child, my child, to come to terms with the truth you had been telling me all along. Lizzie, I don't want you to have to lose something as precious as a child to see what the right answer is."

"But, Derek, he's-"

"Charming, polite, funny, smart? I know, but so was Sal. He opened doors, cracked jokes, read book, and got me pregnant because I was convinced that he was a great guy."

"But Derek's different."

"True, he's younger and much more attractive, but you have to realize that Derek believes in Lamb of God just as much as Sal does."

"Thanks, Kate." Lizzie knew what her answer should be, but she still wanted Derek. Saying no was not going to be easy.

"I'm gonna go on a walk," Kate said, slowly rising from her bed.

Lizzie stood up too, and touched Kate's arm. "Are you sure that's the best idea? I mean, its dark out, and after what happened this morning-"

"I think you need some time alone, and I really want to walk. Actually, before I go, I do have a question for you. How did Sal tell everybody else about this morning?"

Lizzie stared at the floor. "He told everybody that he was sad that his and God's child died, but that it was more important to look into the future."

"So, my child is pretty much forgotten now?"

"Maybe it's good that everybody forgets. They won't see that you're grieving, so we will be able to make a more subtle escape."

"Maybe," Kate answered quietly. "I'm gonna go on my walk now. I need to do something to help me clear my head."

"Okay, but be careful," Lizzie said as Kate left the room.

About two hours later, Kate still wasn't back from her walk, and Lizzie had been worried for at least the past hour, but she had also had some time to think.

Lizzie wondered why Sal would let Derek marry her. For one, Lizzie wasn't exactly on best terms with Sal, especially after she wouldn't give her bible up. Plus, Kate had just lost her baby that afternoon. Sal knew how close Lizzie and Kate had gotten towards the end of Kate's pregnancy. Not only that, but Sal had lost his child too. Was the man willing to celebrate and lead a very joyful occasion just hours after his loss?

The more Lizzie thought, the more suspicious about Sal and Derek's motives she became, and the more worried she became about Kate being out walking alone.

Just as Lizzie was about to go out looking for Kate, she walked into the room.

Immediately, Lizzie said, "Kate, something is not right. You just lost your baby this morning, and now this evening Sal is encouraging me and Derek to get married."

Lizzie looked at Kate, who was wearing a terrified expression on her face. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"Tell me everything that your bible says about end times."

"Well, Matthew ten verses 21 to 22 say, 'Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All me will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.'"

"How? How will they be put to death?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, how will the brother kill his brother and the father his child?"

"What's going on, Kate. You're freaking me out."

"Just how will they die? You know, like will they beat them or burn them or poison them?"

"Well, in Jeremiah five verse 14, God says, 'Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in you mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.'"

"Are you serious?" Kate whispered, her eyes wide.

"Kate, don't freak out about it. Jeremiah is simply warning the Israelites about what will happen to them if they don't start following God instead of their idols."

"No, Lizzie. You don't get it. I overheard Sal say something about how we must die before the end. Sal is gonna kill us. All of us."

"Are you sure? Who was he talking to? What were his exact words?"

"I didn't hear the entire context, but he was praying out loud. He said, 'How shall we perish?' and then he added, 'I promise that we will be with you before the end. Fire burns amongst my followers.'"

"That could have meant anything. The fire part came from Psalm 106 verse 18. It says, 'Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.' Only the wicked are killed," Lizzie said trying to soothe Kate, but Lizzie didn't feel any better about just the wicked being killed. Lizzie had heard of a cult in California that was all poisoned by the wine they took during communion, because the leader believed that the end for them had come and it was God's will. "Maybe he's just talking about how we're all on fire for Christ."

"What if we're considered wicked?"

"No…wait. Sal's always said how we're all sinners, which would mean that we're all wicked."

"But we're all followers, too."

"Let's just listen to what Sal says tomorrow. Maybe it will give us a clue as to what he was saying."

"Lizzie, there may not be a tomorrow."

"I know, but we should take a chance. Just don't drink any wine."

"What?"

"Never mind."

A/N: Is it any good? Let me know what you're thinking.


	15. Fire

A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. A comment was brought up in one of the reviews that I think needs addressed. It was mentioned that Kate was up and walking around only hours after having had a miscarriage. You're right, that's really inaccurate. I'd like to apologize for that inaccuracy. In this case, I think Kate can go on her walk the day after she had her baby, and it won't take anything away from the story.

Chapter 15 Fire

"Do you smell gas?" Kate asked Lizzie.

"You're being hypersensitive," Lizzie replied. The two had just entered the chapel for the evening service. Lizzie hadn't been able to sleep the night before, after Kate overheard Sal talking about perishing and fire.

Lizzie and Kate took two spots in the back pew.

"Lizzie," Kate whispered, but before she could say anything else, Sal began his sermon.

"Lately, we've been discussing the end times. Now, what will happen to those who aren't saved? Jude one verse seven says, 'In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding town gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.' Now, by eternal fire, Jude is talking about hell, of course, but what about the rest of us? All of us here have been saved. The fire we experience will not be eternal, because after the flames of the earth have destroyed us, we will have heaven."

Lizzie wasn't even guessing anymore. She was convinced that everybody at Lamb of God was going to burn, and, suddenly, Lizzie realized that the gas Kate had smelled earlier wasn't a figment of her imagination. She nudged Kate, and the second Lizzie saw Kate's face, she knew she wasn't the only one who had figured out what was going to happen. Lizzie quietly stood up and Kate followed. She tried to subtly leave out of the main doors, but Sal's voice stopped her.

"God commands you to stay!" his voice boomed. Sal was looking directly at Lizzie and Kate.

Lizzie saw a large man starting to run for the door that Kate and her were about to escape out of. He was holding a chain with a lock attached to it in his hands. Lizzie immediately noticed that all of the other doors in the chapel had been locked. "RUN!" Lizzie screamed. She and Kate bolted for the exit. Now they were in a race for their lives. Lizzie heard Sal's voice boom, "This is the fire that will consume us. We must suffer like Jesus did on the cross so that we may live."

Lizzie glanced at Sal just quick enough to see a lit match in his hand. He was about to kill every person in the chapel.

Kate and Lizzie made it to the door, but not faster than the big man with the chain.

"You're wrong Sal," Lizzie screamed, as she and Kate attacked the man. "Jesus suffered so that we don't have to!"

Sal glared at Lizzie. "May you burn in hell for all the chaos you have caused," he hissed. After a brief pause, Sal added, "In the name of God the father." It was like hearing a pin drop, but the match hit the floor with the power of a hurricane.

"Let us go!" Kate screamed at the man blocking her and Lizzie from their escape. She was biting his arm, so he couldn't lock the chain around the door. It looked like a loosing battle.

Lizzie could hear the flame following the trail of gasoline that surrounded the congregation. She could feel herself kicking and punching the man, and she could see Kate doing the same.

Suddenly, the door flung open, and Lizzie and Kate stumbled out. As they ran, they could hear Sal's voice from within yell, "If you don't perish today, you will surely perish in hell for eternity!"

"We have to help them," Kate choked, tired from battling her way out.

"The car," Lizzie choked back.

Lizzie and Kate sprinted for the garage.

Inside, Kate grabbed a wooden beam sitting on the ground, and smashed the window of the wan. She unlocked the door and opened it. Quickly, Kate grabbed some wires and put the together, and the car started.

"How did you do that?" Lizzie asked, amazed.

"I have no idea," Kate replied, equally amazed. Lizzie hopped into the passenger side and quickly buckled her seatbelt as Kate slammed on the gas. The car barreled through the garage door, and across the lawn, towards the burning chapel, gaining speed the whole way until it crashed into the doors that Kate and Lizzie had just escaped out of. The force of the collision snapped Lizzie forward, but her seatbelt held her in place.

"Kate, we need to get out of here," Lizzie said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Kate?" Lizzie looked over at Kate. Her head was resting limply on the steering wheel, and Lizzie thought she saw blood on Kate's forehead. "KATE!" Lizzie screamed.

Lizzie could feel the heat of the fire burning all around her as she got out of the van and ran over to Kate's side. She noticed the people escaping the flames through the hole that the van had created. Lizzie opened Kate's door and tried to grab Kate and get her out, but she was stuck fast. The sweat on Lizzie forehead was evaporating in the heat. "HELP!" Lizzie screamed. "Somebody help me," Lizzie choked as a cloud of smoke took her breath away and burned her lungs. Lizzie kept on tugging on Kate as the fire grew hotter. The glass in the chapel started loudly shattering in the heat. She knew that the car could blow up at any second. It was hot, and there was gas in the tank, but just as Lizzie was about to give up, a voice said, "You grab her feet. I'll get her arms. Good. Now, pull on three. One, two, three."

Lizzie pulled with all of the strength that she had left, and Kate came free. "Grab my arm," the voice commanded. "I've got Kate."

Lizzie grabbed his arm, and the three ran. Once they were in the lawn, Lizzie turned about just in time to see the van explode. Seconds later, the ceiling of the chapel collapsed and crashed to the ground.

Lizzie cried and fell to the ground. She was hysterical. What had just happened? And who was that man?

About an hour later, Lizzie was huddled in a blanket and was given some oxygen. The last hour had been a complete blur. The firemen came and did what they could to put out the flames, but the chapel was obviously beyond repair. The only part left was the exterior stone wall, which was now blackened from the fire.

The firemen and a few paramedics that had arrived in ambulances had gone around treating various people for burns and smoke inhalation while policemen went around asking various people questions. Lizzie's eyebrows had been singed, and it hurt to breath deeply, but she didn't need to go to the hospital.

Kate had a cut on her forehead from the blow she took by crashing the van into the chapel. She had a concussion, too, but she would be okay. Kate was standing next to Lizzie with a white bandage on her head and a blanket around her shoulders. "That sure was kind of Derek to help you save me like that," Kate said.

"That was Derek?" Lizzie asked, astonished.

"Yeah. And I just want to tell you that I owe you my life. I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for you."

"Kate, I'm sure that you would have done the same for me," Lizzie replied, modestly. "I mean, you're the one who saved everybody."

"Everybody but one," Kate replied, sadly.

"Sal didn't want to be saved," Lizzie replied. "I know that you have a history with him, and I'm sorry, Kate. I'm sorry that any of this had to happen."

Kate sighed and the two were silent. A few seconds into their silence, Lizzie felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around. "Derek."

"Lizzie," his gruff voice replied. "I- I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"You know, that I brought you here and all. It seemed like the right thing to do. I was so stupid. Why did I ever listen to Sal?"  
"Derek, Sal was a very manipulative person. It's not your fault." Lizzie paused. "And I was to thank you for helping me get Kate. You saved her life. That means the world to her and me."

"I would have done it for anyone."

"Maybe, but you did it for me, and I want to thank you."

"Well, you're welcome," Sal replied. He took a breath and continued. "I know that things here didn't exactly go as planned, but is there a possibility that I could see you again back in California?"

"Derek, the feelings I had for you were real, but I need to get away from this part of my life. I can't. Not after everything that's happened."

"But Lizzie, I love you," Derek whispered. He kissed Lizzie on the lips. It was a soft, lingering kiss, and Lizzie didn't pull back. "I can't loose you," he whispered into her hear.

"I'll miss you, Derek," Lizzie replied. Fresh tears were now streaming down her face. "I can't stay with you, though. I just want to go home."  
Derek's sad eyes ripped Lizzie's heart apart, but she couldn't be with him. She knew that there was too much in their past that needed to be forgotten. Lizzie wouldn't be able to move on past Lamb of God if she stayed with Derek. "I'll miss you," he said as he turned around and walked away.

A/N: Okay, now I know that you have something to say about this chapter. I'm expecting reviews from everybody who reads it! I'm especially interested in what you thought of my action sequence because I have never done one before. Was I descriptive enough? Did it move too fast or too slow? Let me know! Also, just one more chapter to go, and I'm not gonna update until I get a decent amount of reviews.


	16. What About God?

A/N Okay, I know it's weird that I decide to upload the last chapter two years after I stopped updating, but I really felt like I owed it to the readers to finish updating and tie up some loose ends. It's a short chapter, but it was really intended just to wrap up this story. I hope that all of you enjoyed it.

Lizzie nervously tapped her leg up and down as she looked out the airplane window. Thirty thousand feet below her, tiny green dots made up fields.

"Lizzie," Kate said, sounding slightly aggravated. Lizzie looked up at her with a blank stare. "Your foot."

"Sorry," Lizzie said.

"What's on your mind?" Kate asked.

"I dunno. Lots. Where do I even start? I mean, do you realize that we are returning to a place that we abandoned a year ago? They probably think we're dead. Or worse, they forgot us. I mean, there are so many questions that I can't answer. Is Claire still stripping? Does Gordo still hate me? Are my parents together? Are Matt and Melina married? Is Miranda still alive?" Lizzie whispered the last question, and her eyes shone with tears. "I left the people I loved when they needed me most. I don't deserve them back."

"Oh my gosh. I hadn't even thought about that yet," Kate said, her eyes growing wide in fear.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Well," Kate paused. "Are you angry at God?"

"What?"

"Well, we dragged ourselves across the country, I lost a baby, and then we almost burned at the stake all in the name of this God."

Lizzie looked at Kate. "I don't know. I feel like the next part of our lives is going to be filled with tough questions as we try to come to terms with what happened."

"Yeah, but what about everything we learned. I mean, you practically spent an entire year tearing that Bible to shreds," Kate replied.

"You're right. You know, I went into this thing with this casual idea that I was a Christian because I went to a Christmas Eve service every once in a while. Now that I've spent a year memorizing that scripture, I really feel like I know that there has to be more to Christianity than I realized."

"But don't you hate God after everything that happened?"

Lizzie looked at Kate and paused to take a breath. "You know, I don't think I do."

"Well, what does that mean?"

"I guess I don't know." Lizzie looked at her feet. "I don't know."

"Passengers, we are about to make our descent into Hildredge. Please buckle your seatbelts. We will be landing within the next thirty minutes.

Lizzie's pulse quickened as she buckled her seatbelt. This was it. She was about to return to reality, except that she no longer had any idea what reality she was returning to.


End file.
